


Just a Little Bent

by MorellaPike



Category: Fantastic Four (Movies 2005-2007)
Genre: Anal Sex, Bi-Curiosity, Crack, F/M, M/M, Oral Sex, Rimming, Superpower Sex, it's kind of gross, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-03-03 18:48:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 25,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2863946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorellaPike/pseuds/MorellaPike
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Johnny overhears a conversation that peaks his imagination. (re-post of my fic on adultfanfiction.org)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fantastic Sex

**Author's Note:**

> [this story was published in 2008 or so on adultfanficiton.org. However, they have reorganized their website and this story is now very hard to find unless you link to my author page directly. It is no longer in the main categories. I made slight edits, but it is 99% still the same.]

Johnny was walking towards his kitchen. His latest conquest, Laura, was having a conversation with his sister Suzy and he was catching snippets in the air as he approached.

"Yes, it's true," he could hear Sue respond to something. "It's kinda of weird actually."

"But weird in a good way, right? I mean, wow, I can't even imagine. It must be the best sex ever." Laura said.

That caught Johnny's attention. How can Laura speculate of the best sex ever when they she'd had sex with him last night. That should have been the best sex ever. Quietly, Johnny approached the kitchen and leaned against the wall so as not to be seen.

"It was, I mean it was fantastic." Sue laughed. "No pun intended. But after awhile it was just kinda creepy. He was trying to do all these weird tricks..."

"Like what?" 

"Well," Sue paused. "Like, since he's completely flexible you know... he could.. you know... Lick my clit and screw me at the same time."

A glass was heard shattering. But Johnny was too busy with his mouth hanging open just trying to visualize the image Sue had just painted to think about what broke. He'd always thought Reed's power was kinda gross, and had never thought of the sexual benefits of it besides the obvious enhancements to his dick. 

"Oh, sorry," Laura sounded kind of breathless. "I can replace that."

"No worries."

"Thanks. But, about Reed, didn't that feel... fantastic?"

"But it looked weird."

"Well, close your eyes, honey. Lord I can't believe you let that get away."

"It wasn't just the weird sex, it was lots of stuff. Reed and I were great friends and we just... always fought when we were a couple."

"Yeah, I guess. But, it's like, the most extreme sex ever. I mean, no one on this planet can do what Reed can. Wow, the possibilities are endless."

And indeed they seemed to be. Johnny stood there just letting some of those possibilities shift through his mind. First, he had been picturing Reed having at it with Laura. But soon his adventurous nature started kicking in. It was true, no one on Earth could do what Reed could do, and that included in the bedroom. If Johnny was open minded enough, imagine what they could do together. 

"Good morning, Johnny," Reed said as he walked past him and into the kitchen.

Inside the girls started laughing uncontrolably.

"Uh, good morning?" Reed could be heard saying. The girls just laughed even louder.

Johnny walked back to his room quickly, his imagination had given him a raging hard on and he had to go relieve himself.


	2. Icing

After Laura had left, Johnny lounged on the couch for awhile. Ben came in at some point to see the Price is Right. While they both sat there, Johnny gave a quick thought about what sex with Ben would be like. He couldn't imagine it not hurting seriously, and thought Alicia must have a high pain tolerance or they used other means. Either way, it was not something Johnny thought he'd want to explore.

In the early afternoon when he was leaving to give a radio interview on the afternoon radio show, he ran into Sue giving someone instructions over the phone. He briefly wondered what having sex with an invisible person would be like, but squicked himself before he could form a mental image fucking his own sister. Homosexuality was one thing, incest was another.

Two days after Johnny's curiosity about Reed had risen, the team was having a small dinner party at the Baxter building in celebration of Ben's birthday. Johnny was sitting a few people away from Reed all evening, but he could see the man easily, and could not help sneak glances his way every once in awhile.

Sue was bringing out a birthday cake with unlit candles. He looked up and shot a small stream of fire to light the candles from afar once Sue set the cake down in front of Ben. After a round of Happy Birthday the cake was cut and everyone at the table was enjoying their piece.

Johnny looked up from his plate to sneak another glance over at Mr. Fantastic. Reed was obviously enjoying his cake very much from the way he seemed to savor the bite he just took. A little piece of icing had escaped his mouth and was smudged on the corner a bit. At that moment, Reed, feeling someone's eyes on him, looked up and saw Johnny staring at him.

He mouthed "what?" at the human torch.

Johnny, caught slightly off gaurd, made a motion with his hand indicating to Reed that there was something on the corner of his mouth.

Reed stuck his tongue out and licked away the icing off where Johnny had indicated. He then smiled slightly and mouthed "thank you" before going back to his plate for another bite.

Johnny kept staring at the corner of Reed's mouth, replaying that tongue sneaking out again and again in his head. That tongue could stretch to any length like the rest of him couldn't it? A few scenarios played in Johnny's head.

"Johnny?" he could a voice call him out of his daydream, it was Sue, "Johnny, can you get more wine from the kitchen?" 

Johnny looked up at her, she was carrying several gift bags and setting them in front of Ben. He was about to stand up when he realized his fantasies had made him hard again. This time in front of everyone.

"Uh, I don't think I can get up right now..." Johnny tried to look as if he was in pain. Let Sue think whatever she wanted, cramp, indigestion, anything so he wouldn't have to stand up at this moment.

"I'll get it," Reed chimed in, and stood from the table. 

"Thanks, Reed," Sue responded, "honestly, Johnny."

"Sorry," Johnny replied. In the meantime he started trying to imagine what sex with Ben would be like again to try to calm down his overactive body parts. Tomorrow he'd figure out how to talk Reed into having some sex with him.


	3. Natural Heat

The next day after Ben's birthday party, Johnny hung around their home waiting for Sue and Ben to disappear. He spent his time formulating a plan of attack on Reed, and felt fairly confident that Reed would not be able to resist him. Granted, Johnny had never tried hitting on a guy before, but plenty of male fans had tried hitting on him, so at least he had some idea. Besides, who was going to resist Johnny Storm?

Unfortunately, Johnny had to wait a very long time before everyone had cleared out. Ben had left early with Alicia for a short holiday in honor of Ben's birthday and to spend some alone time. Sue, on the other hand, was in the lab all day with a few other researchers. When they decided it was time for dinner, Sue went with them, and Johnny was very grateful that Reed stayed behind.

Johnny eyed himself in the mirror before heading over to Reed's lab. He was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a tight fitting white undershirt. The blue suit was not the easiest thing to get in and out of, even with lots of practice. Normally he wore it because the girls liked it, but the suit wasn't really going to impress Reed. With a wink and a smile at the mirror, Johnny made his was through the apartment.

Reed was typing away at his computer when Johnny approached him from behind.

"This is the part where I tell you that you work too much and you need to relax and have more fun," Johnny began and rested a hand on Reed's chair.

Reed looked up startled. "Oh, hey Johnny. I know, I just didn't feel like going out."

"That doesn't mean you can't have fun and relax at home," Johnny gave Reed a flirtatious wink.

"You're right," Reed said a bit cautiously. "Did you need something?"

Johnny smiled, so far Reed was playing right into him. "Why don't you save whatever it is your working on, and come have some fun with me."

Reed laughed. "Like what?"

Johnny ran a hand over Reed's shoulder applying a small amount of heat into it. Slowly he began to massage the shoulder. Reed, caught unawares, relaxed into it.

"Does that feel nice?"

"Yeah," Reed's eyes fluttered, "you're infusing heat aren't you? But I must say there's talent there too."

"Why don't we go back to my room, and I can use both hands."

"You wanna give me a massage? Why?"

"Aw. That hurts, Reed. Here I am trying to do a friend a favor..."

"I'm still sensing disbelief," Reed deadpanned.

"C'mon, live a little." Johnny gave a strong squeeze to Reed's shoulder. It was slightly odd to have it fold in like that, like rubber, but Johnny had been expecting that and was very much in control of how much heat he was applying.

"Um, well, okay," Reed saved his file.

Johnny backed up giving Reed room to stand. Then he gave Reed a small smile that didn't quite hide the mischief in his eyes. Reed gave him a side long look, but followed Johnny to his room anyway.

Once in the room, Johnny pulled back the covers from his bed.

"Why don't you take off the super-suit and lay down." Johnny tried to say casually.

"Why do I need to take off the suit?"

"It'll feel better on your bare skin."

"Johnny, what are you playing at?"

"What?" Johnny threw up his arms in mock innocence, "just go into my bathroom and change out of it. Leave the pants, lose the shirt. What?"

Reed gave him a slightly exasperated face, but followed the instructions anyway. In a few minutes he had emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but a pair of black slacks and white socks. Under Johnny's gaze, he lay face down on his stomach, laying his head on his arms.

Johnny gave a victorious smile behind Reed's back. Then he removed his own shirt and straddled Reed on the bed. 

Before Reed could turn to see what Johnny was doing, the human torch had laid his hands on Reed's back and started his task.

Johnny proceeded to give Reed the same massage he had given countless women. It was working too, there were moments where Reed could not hold back a moan. Mr. Fantastic was quite literally, putty in his hands. Reed imagined that if he didn't have to consciously make an effort to stretch and bend, he would have been a big pile of goo by now. Indeed, it had been quite a while since anyone had touched Reed in such a manner, and it was only slightly disturbing that it should be Sue's brother.

After about 10 or 15 minutes of this, Johnny leaned down and pressed a kiss to Reed's spine. Reed opened his eyes but did nothing else. A moment later, Johnny did it again. This time, Reed could not ignore it.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't be dense. You know what I'm doing," Johnny answered and kissed him again.

"It feels like you've trying to seduce me."

"I knew you were smart," Johnny smiled.

So quickly that Johnny almost fell over on his face, Reed had used his power to slip from under Johnny and stand next to the bed instead.

"What?" Reed said, "you're joking."

"Did it feel like I was joking?"

"You're up to something," Reed decided and went into the bathroom to pick up his clothes and suit. 

When Johnny saw him leave the bathroom with the clothes he stood from the bed and tried to bar the door.

"Wait, where are you going? I'm not pranking you, just stay."

"I don't know what you're up to," Reed replied. "Is this a bet or something? Or did you get hit on the head?"

"Reed, stop over-analyzing everything. I just want to fuck you," Johnny tried to explain.

Reed couldn't even think of a reply to that. He just looked at Johnny as if seeing him for the first time and then moved past him before Johnny could stop him.

Johnny stood in the doorway looking at Reed's retreating back wondering what he had done wrong. Perhaps he should have worn the suit.


	4. Logical Advice

Johnny was having lunch with Sue at a diner a block from the Baxter building. After last night's strike out with Reed, he had been unusually quiet throughout the meal, something Sue hadn't failed to notice.

"Okay, Johnny, what's wrong?" Sue sighed.

"Nothing." Johnny ate another french fry.

"C'mon. You're never this quiet."

"So maybe I'm having a pensive day."

Sue rolled her eyes and continued eating her meal in silence for awhile. 

Soon, the waitress came by and refilled their drinks. Sue noticed that Johnny didn’t flirt with the waitress, even though she was cute and her breasts were about to spill out of uniform. Johnny didn’t even seem to notice. 

"What was that?" Sue asked as soon as the waitress left.

"What was what?"

"That waitress. You didn't even give her a smile. You didn't flirt with her at all."

"So? I don't have to try and get into everyone's pants do I?"

Sue sat there a moment and studied Johnny. "Did you meet someone?"

"I meet lots of people."

"No, I mean did you meet someone special. Oh, god, are you in love?"

"Am not," Johnny said sounding very defensive.

Sue laughed. "Oh, my god you're blushing." She laughed harder.

"Am not." Johnny was getting aggravated. "Look, I'm not in love. I am having a bit of a problem closing a deal on someone.”

At this Sue's laughed until she started tearing up.

"If you're going to laugh at me..." Johnny started to get up from the table.

"No, I'm sorry, please," Sue started calming down. "Tell me about it. Maybe I can help.”

Johnny settled back into the booth. "Okay, there's this... person... and I thought it might be fun to have sex with... them. Anyway, I laid down my usual mojo and he just pushed me away and walked out the door.”

"He?" Sue's eyes widened.

Johnny looked up, "Aw, fuck. Uh... look I'm not gay, I just thought.. well... I've never with a guy and..."

"And you're an adventure junkie. I get it."

"Yeah, something like that." Johnny replied.

"Is this guy gay or bisexual?"

"I don't really know. I’m pretty sure he’s straight."

"So why on earth did you pick him? Why didn't you go to a gay bar and pick someone up or how about Todd? That neuroscience guy who works at the lab sometimes, he's gay and single."

"I want this guy."

"Why? If your just experimenting why can’t it be any guy? Are you sure you’re not feeling something more than just.. lustful heat?"

Johnny sighed in frustration. How on Earth could he explain why he wanted to have sex with Reed specifically without letting on that it was Reed he was talking about.

"Look, do you have advice for me or not?"

"Who’s the guy? Do I know him?"

“You don’t know him.” Johnny said a little too quickly.

“Well, tell me about him.”

Johnny looked reluctant.

“I can’t help you if I don’t know anything about him,” Sue said in a sing song voice.

"Thanks," Johnny muttered.

"Fine. But it won’t be the best advice” Sue took a moment to think. "You said you tried your usual moves. The ones you put on the girls?"

"Yeah"

"Well, if he's not gay or bi then I can’t imagine what you can do to convince him. Is he an adrenaline junkie like you?”

"No, he's more the nerdy type."

“Well, you could always get him drunk. That always loosens me up a bit.”

Johnny laughed. "I can't believe you just suggested that. Get a poor innocent man drunk and then rob him of his innocence?"

"Well, not comatose drunk, just lower inhibitions drunk." Sue thought some more. “I still don’t understand why you’re fixated on one particular guy, and a ‘nerdy guy’ at that.”

"Just the advice, Sue. I've divulged enough information.”

Sue took her time thinking over the possibilities, and thinking over what information Johnny had given her. She absently chewed on a carrot as Johnny finished his meal. By the time the waitress was back, Sue had formulated a hypothesis and decided to test it out.

"Well, Johnny," she said as her brother fished for his wallet, "I think, if he's a nerdy guy then you're going to have to approach him at his level. Make it sound like an experiment, a logical action that will bring forth otherwise speculative information."

Johnny thought that over. "You know, that actually makes sense. Thanks, Sue."

"No problem." She smiled. "And by the way, Reed likes his nipples twisted."

"Thanks," Johnny responded automatically before he realized what Sue had just said. "Hey! Who said it was Reed?"

"Just a guess, bro. And you fell right into that one."

"Fuck. How'd you figure it out? Are you mad at me? "

"No, I’m not mad. Very amused actually, I’d pay to see you try and seduce Reed. He must have flipped.”

“He thought I’d gotten hit on the head or something.”

Sue laughed. “Oh, I haven’t laughed this much in ages.”

“That back massage had never failed me yet.”

“I figured you were talking about Reed because this sudden interest in having sex with a nerdy guy is coming just a few days after hearing me talk about how sex with Reed is like nothing on this planet. Duh, I know you. You’re not known for resisting extreme adventures. Though I admit, I do find this all a bit shocking."

Johnny was reeling. "So did I."

“Just don’t hurt him okay? Make sure he knows you just mean this casually.”

“Yeah, no strings, no problems.”

"And remember, don’t try to seduce him your body, do it with your mind. I know you have one. Just make it seem like sleeping together is the most logical conclusion.

"Cool. Yeah, thanks."

After paying for their lunch, Sue and Johnny headed back up to the Baxter building. Outside, Reed was getting out of a cab to go back into the building as well.

"Hey guys," Reed said. He blushed slightly when he looked at Johnny.

They headed into the building and jumped in the elevator together.

"How was the meeting?" Sue asked Reed.

"It went well. They decided to go with my new design for the space module."

"That's great, Reed," Sue said.

"Yeah," Johnny said trying to act natural, "trying new things is great. You never know, you might find it’s even better than what you had before.”

Sue sent Johnny a glare, but he didn’t notice, he was too busy watching the blush creeping over Reed’s face.


	5. The Scientific Method

Johnny wasted no time on his next attempt at seducing Reed. That same night, he waited patiently while everyone else went home or went to bed. Johnny wasn't stupid; you don't get to be a pilot for NASA on sheer bravado alone, so he spent the time coming up with different arguments and counter-arguments to anything Reed might offer up as a negative.

He hovered about the lab, and once he waved goodbye to the last person leaving, he immediately set his sights on Reed.

The man in question was reading off data from one of the tests he had been running that day. Johnny stepped up right next to him, falling into Reed's peripheral vision.

"Can I help you?" Reed asked.

"You're a scientist, right Reed," Johnny began neutrally.

"Of course."

"So you like to experiment?"

Reed put his data pad down and gave Johnny an exasperated look.

"No, wait, hear me out," Johnny pushed on. "Have you ever had sex with a guy?"

"No."

"Neither have I. Now, why not?"

"Why haven't you had sex with a guy?" Reed asked.

"Don't be a smart ass, I'm trying to have a real conversation here."

"Fine. I haven't because I'm not gay."

"I'm not gay either, but if neither of us have had sex with a guy how would we know if we like it or not?" Johnny said.

"Well, we wouldn't know, but I've never been attracted to another man."

"Okay, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't enjoy sex with a guy. It's like pizza. I like deep dish meat lovers, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy thin crust with extra cheese."

"I don't think it's the same thing." Reed looked perplexed.

"Why? Pizza is pizza, sex is sex."

"Okay, I see your point. Well, I see your point on the pizza anyway."

"So as a scientist, don't you think you should test all variations before drawing a conclusion?"

"Well..." Reed tried to find an argument, "but wouldn't that also imply that I should try not just men, but animals, trees, any other variation as well."

"Hey, what you do on the weekend is your business." Johnny laughed.

"Why are you trying to talk me into this?"

"Why are you answering a question with a question?"

Reed didn't answer.

"I would like to know for myself, " Johnny continued, “because there must be something to it if so many guys do it. And I thought perhaps my closest friend, whom I trust with my very life, might like to try on this little experiment with me." Johnny said with the best serious face he could muster.

Reed stayed silent, but Johnny could see that huge brain was churning. Johnny made a mental note to buy Sue flowers if her advice worked.

"Don't you think it would be awkward?” Reed asked. “I was engaged to your sister." 

"I can guarantee you she doesn't mind," Johnny was completely honest on that point, "we can walk up to her room right now and ask. I swear."

"I... I still don't know, Johnny." 

It wasn't an affirmative, but Johnny could taste victory. He had managed to perplex Reed. Reed was seriously giving thought to sleeping with him. All Johnny needed to do was give that little extra push that toppled Reed over the edge.

"All right, how about a test first?" Johnny offered.

"What sort of test."

"A kiss." Johnny couldn't stop his lip to curl up slightly as he tried to hold in a smile. "No obligations, just a simple kiss to see if you are completely repulsed by the idea of it all. But you have to kiss me back for real, you have to at least try."

"Just a kiss? With tongue?"

"Of course with tongue, what would be the point if it wasn't?"

Reed looked away from Johnny, frowning slightly.

"It'll be a few seconds of your time, Reed. And then you'll know for sure." 

"And if I don't like it you'll leave me alone about this," Reed asked.

"Absolutely," Johnny said, though inwardly he knew that was a blatant lie.

"Well, okay," Reed conceded.

Johnny smiled and approached Reed slowly as one would a cornered animal. That's how Johnny saw him at that moment. Reed was tense, but didn't move away. When Johnny brought his face closer to his mouth, Reed tensed more, but to his credit did not flinch.

And then Johnny moved in slowly, fully intent on making this kiss a slow seduction, and not the fiery passionate kisses he normally enjoyed. That would came later, he thought. Reed kissed back, as Johnny took small kisses from him. He then moved in to make the kiss deeper, slowly slipping his tongue into Reed's mouth. He put as much as he ever had into that kiss, bent on convincing Reed with the simple gesture.

A moan escaped Reed deep in his throat as he responded to the Human Torch. Johnny kept the rest of his body away from Reed, not wanting to break the moment by alerting Reed to the unfamiliarity of the hard planes of a man as opposed to the soft curves of a woman. 

When Reed's hand moved up to Johnny's bicep, Johnny pulled away slightly, but remained in his personal space.

"Repulsed?" Johnny asked with a smile.

"No," Reed breathed out, "not repulsed."

Johnny smiled in victory.


	6. Thin Crust with Extra Cheese

The two men stood together for a moment silently. Reed was looking at Johnny expectantly. He seemed lost as to what to do next. His hand was still on the human torches bicep.

Johnny kissed him again, a little more aggressive now. This time he dared to move his body closer to Reed's so they were touching, chest to chest. When Reed didn't move away from him, Johnny maneuvered him against the glass wall by the desk.

When Reed's back hit the wall he broke the kiss.

"Johnny?"

"Yeah?" Johnny responded. He pushed himself against Reed's body.

"We're still in the lab." Reed said as Johnny's mouth worked Reed's neck.

"Okay, my room," Johnny pulled away from Reed, but grabbed his hand. He started walking to the door, pulling on Reed, when he felt Reed trying to break free.

"Johnny, I still don't think..."

"You weren't repulsed by the kiss," Johnny started arguing sensing Reed trying to back out. "You admitted it therefore I don't have to leave you alone about this. I can keep chasing you until you give in."

"Is that what this is about? The chase?"

"No, not at all," Johnny said sincerely. "I'm just saying I'm going to keep trying and if you liked it then I don't see why you're still arguing with me."

Reed looked thoughtful, but remained silent. Johnny took the opportunity to lead Reed right out of the lab, and back to his bedroom.

Johnny did not let go of Reed's hand until they had gotten into his room. He closed and locked the door.

"You want to do this right now?" Reed asked.

"You wanna pencil me sometime tomorrow or the next day, Dr. Richards? I'm not above making an appointment," Johnny smiled.

Reed gave a small smile. Johnny walked over to him and resumed what they had started in the lab. He brought his hands up to Reed's waist and started yanking on the man's shirt, pulling it from his pants. As he slowly started unbuttoning it, he moved his mouth back to Reed's neck, kissing and nibbling. Reed became active again, his breath coming short; he placed his hands on Johnny's biceps and started caressing him gently.

Johnny shrugged the shirt off and then quickly removed the undershirt as well. Reed reciprocated, if a bit slower and unsure. And then the two were left standing together, topless from the waist up. They ran their hands over each other slowly, familiarizing themselves.

"So, what now?" Reed asked.

Johnny didn't respond verbally, instead he moved his hand over the front of Reed's pants slowly. This would be the true test, he imagined, a kiss is just a kiss, especially with your eyes closed. If Johnny could keep Reed in this room with his eyes open, that was something else.

He applied more pressure, and went to work on the formerly neglected side of Reed's neck. In response, Mr. Fantastic had been half-erect since Johnny started taking off his shirt. At the moment, he was completely hard in a matter of seconds.

"Now we know," Johnny finally responded, and undid the clasp on Reed's belt. The button on the pants followed, and then the zipper. Reed was starting to feel overwhelmed when his pants hit the floor. Johnny undid his own pants and shrugged them off.

Not that they were only clad in boxers, Johnny pushed Reed gently towards the bed.

"How... how are we going to do this?" Reed asked. Johnny had tried to nudge him onto the bed, but Reed remained standing firmly.

"On the bed, I was thinking," Johnny said.

"No. I mean... how do you want to do this... between us. I mean, did you want to be on top?"

Johnny's cock twitched at the question. Reed was trying to use his scientifically detached voice. He wasn't really sure how he wanted to do it this first time. He wanted to be on top, but only because it would be more familiar to be the one penetrating.

"How did you want to do it?" Johnny asked. He pushed Reed onto the bed a little more forceful this time and Reed let himself fall onto the bed, lifting himself up on his elbows.

"I think," Reed began moving back on the bed so he lay in the middle, "that you should be on top."

"Really?" Johnny was surprised.

"You can't hurt me as easily because I can stretch to accommodate you." Reed explained.

"Oh, holy hell," Johnny gasped out. It was a very simple explanation, but somehow hearing Reed talk dirty science was turning him on. Instead of removing his boxers, he simply allowed himself to burn them off. Then he jumped on the bed and crawled on top of Reed. "That's fine with me."

"You can control that, right?" Reed asked worried.

Johnny smiled. "You have no idea."

Johnny took Reed's boxers off for him, and Reed spread his legs open so the other man could slip in between them. Johnny kissed Reed again and started rubbing his erection against him. When their cocks touched, they both gasped, and Johnny repeated the motion several times.

Johnny was about to ask Reed to suck on his fingers so he could start preparing his body for anal penetration when he realized he was with Mr. Fantastic.

"You don't really need to be stretched beforehand do you?" Johnny whispered in his ear.

"I don't suppose so," Reed answered.

Johnny grabbed the lube from under the pillow and rubbed some on his dick. He then spread Reed's legs out more and up over his shoulders. He met no resistance at all. He realized he could have tied the man's legs into a knot if he wanted to. He shook himself from the thoughts, and focused on the moment at hand.

It felt real good, as he pushed his cock in to Reed, as good as he had imagined. Reed's eyes were heavy with desire, but Johnny wanted him to moan. He needed Reed to really enjoy this if he ever wanted to talk Mr. Fantastic into a repeat experience. With one hand, he reached and twisted one of Reed's nipples.

"Johnny!" Reed cried out and grabbed the bedspread. Johnny thrust harder. To his amazement, Reed's body started getting tighter around his cock. Every other thrust brought a moan from Johnny's throat. He kissed Reed's mouth again with the same hard passion his cock was thrusting into the body beneath him.

"God, this feels so fucking good," Johnny cried.

Reed's hand moved in between their bodies and started jerking himself off. Johnny felt so good inside of him, but he needed a little more.

When Johnny noticed Reed's hand he swatted it away. "I can do that. Next time just ask."

"Next time?" And then Reed's mind wet blank as Johnny made good on his offer. It was a few short moments before Reed's mind was lost in his orgasm.

Johnny felt that. He smiled radiantly and resisted the urge to laugh in joy as he reached his own orgasm.

After the Human Torch cooled down a bit, he pulled out of Reed and lay down next to him. They both wallowed for a bit catching their breath.

"So,” Johnny began, "what are your test results so far?"

Reed was quiet for a second, obviously thinking. "I suppose there's more merit to that pizza analogy than I gave you credit for."


	7. Loosening Things Up

After the sex, Johnny excused himself to go to his bathroom. When he came back out, Reed was gone. Johnny was disappointed, as he had been looking forward to round two, but decided to let the man rest until tomorrow. Overall, he thought the experience had gone rather well for a first time with someone so ironically rigid for being so physically flexible. Tomorrow, Johnny decided, they could explore that flexibility further.

By the time Johnny woke up the next day, everyone was already hard at work. His only commitment was a photo shoot with a Tabasco sauce company, so he grabbed a soda and left the building before he was even seen.

In the afternoon, Johnny came back with a dozen white roses for Sue. He found Sue, Reed, and a couple of guys from the science lab sharing take-out Chinese in the dining room.

"Hey everyone," Johnny greeted.

"Hey, Johnny. Those are beautiful." Sue said.

"Hot date tonight?" One of the lab guys says. 

"No, these are for my lovely sister," Johnny handed the roses to Sue. 

"Oh, that's so sweet. What for?" Sue stood up to put them in water.

"Just a little problem I was having that you helped me with."

"Really? What?" Sue looked over at him from the kitchen counter. Johnny winked at her. "Oh! Oh." Her eyes strayed to Reed who noticed her glance. "Well, always happy to help."

"So, Reed," Johnny moved over to him, standing over him as he sat in the chair. "Whatya doing tonight?"

"I'm -"

"Great," Johnny interrupted. "So, come by my room after work. We'll watch that movie we talked about."

"What movie?" Reed asked.

"You know, the one with the thing," he waived his right arm in a circle, "with the guy and the," he started making explosion noises, "you know, that movie."

"Oh." Reed asked, aware that to disagree would just bring about suspicious stares from the lab guys.

"Yeah," Johnny sat down at the table and grabbed one of the containers with rice. "Is there any fried rice?"

Later that evening, Johnny waited around in his room for a long time. It was already about 10pm, surely the lab guys were gone, and even Sue would have stopped working. But Reed had not come by his room.

He wandered into the lab and found Reed asleep at his desk. Johnny nudged him awake. It took a second for the indents in Reed's face to return to normal.

"Working hard or avoiding me?" Johnny asked.

"A little bit of both actually." Reed answered honestly.

"Why?"

"I.. isn't your curiosity sated now?"

"Nowhere near." Johnny answered. He lifted Reed from his chair and turned him so they were facing each other. "It's your turn to be on top."

Reed swallowed. "Well, I suppose that if we truly wanted to experiment we would have to try it both ways."

"That's right," Johnny grabbed Reed by his lab coat. "Let's go."

The walk to Johnny's room was quick. Johnny started stripping as soon as he closed the door, and Reed took the cue and started stripping as well.

"Sue knows?" Reed asked.

"Yes," Johnny had finished undressing and flushed his body with Reed's. 

They started kissing passionately, or at least Johnny started kissing with all the passion he always put into sex, and Reed tried his best to keep up. Johnny's hands wandered all over Reed's body, amazed at the similarity, amazed at how feeling Reed's cock harden against him was making him even hotter.

They quickly made themselves comfortable on the bed, Johnny on his back, with Reed above him. 

"I need to stretch you out first," Reed said, almost asked.

Johnny reached for the bedside table and took out some lube. "Here."

Reed took the tube from Johnny and looked at it for a moment. 

"What are you waiting for?" Johnny asked.

"Well," Reed started a bit unsure. "normally, when I use to do this, with women of course, I used my fingers."

"Yeah, so?" Johnny asked.

"But now.. unless you think it might be too weird..."

Johnny smiled. He was afraid this was something he would have to bring out slowly in Reed. He'd been afraid his sister had made Reed too self conscious to even bring it up. "You want to use your superpowers."

"My anatomy works like the rest of me. I can stretch you that way, it might be easier on you."

"Well, by all means Dr. Richards, just don't go too easy on me." Johnny smiled.

Reed nodded and lubed up his dick instead of his fingers. He then tried to move Johnny into a position that would be comfortable for both of them and also grant Reed easy access. Unfortunately, they soon found out that while Johnny was very fit, he simply wasn't flexible enough to fuck in this position.

"I'll turn over," Johnny quickly came with a solution. "Tomorrow I add exercises to my regime to make me more flexible."

"If you want," was Reed's only answer.

With Johnny on all fours before him, Reed began to slowly push his cock inside the Human Torch. To Johnny, it felt like a small probe at first, no larger than a thumb. Slowly, very slowly, Reed started growing bigger and thicker inside of him, and Johnny never felt any pain. He knew if it were any other guy besides Reed it would have hurt even if unintentional.

"How's that?" Reed asked.

"Amazing," Johnny said, "I'm good Reed, just do it."

Reed started thrusting leisurely. As with anything new he did he took his time to explore and take mental notes. He changed his angle a few times, knowing that he should be hitting the prostate. Once Johnny gave a particularly notable high squeal, Reed modified his cock again so a new particular ridge would rub Johnny's prostate with every thrust. 

Johnny at the moment, could barely see straight. "Reed," he gasped, "you're using powers again aren't you."

That made Reed stop thrusting, he also un-flexed himself so everything was back to normal. "I'm sorry. I know you find my abilities kinda gross."

"No! Do not stop. Oh God, Reed. Not gross, not at all. Wonderful." Johnny was practically begging.

"Really?" Reed asked skeptically. He went ahead and re-added the enhancement to his cock and started thrusting, a little faster this time. "This doesn't gross you out?"

"No, feels amazing," Johnny gasped.

"What if," Reed started to say. The next moment, Reed's head and part of his torso were stretched to lay on the bed in front of Johnny's face, while the rest of his body was still thrusting behind the Human Torch. "I did that? Grossed out yet?"

Johnny leaned down and gave Reed the best kiss he could muster in his desperation. "No. Do it Reed, make me feel good. Like no one on this Earth can." 

Reed started nibbling on Johnny's neck, never breaking thrust behind him. He worked his way down Johnny's torso, biting on nipples, until he moved further down.

"Reed," Johnny breathed, "for the love of God, do it."

And just with that, Reed's mouth was sucking on Johnny's cock, but Reed's dick was still ramming his ass. Johnny struggled to stay upright and settled for resting his forehead on the bed. This was what he'd been waiting for. The first of the mental images that had flitted through his head days ago.

"Faster," Johnny said, "Harder. Never thought I'd say that, but oh..." And Reed complied with every command from Johnny's lips.

"Can't hold it, Reed," Johnny tried to warn. He was soon coming in Reed's mouth and down his throat. 

Reed let him ride out, and then moved his entire self back behind Johnny. He bent himself over Johnny, with a kiss to the back of his neck and a few fast thrusts, Reed spilled himself inside his friend. Johnny collapsed on the bed, Reed on top of him.

It was a couple of minutes before either of them could move. Reed was first, and moved to lay beside Johnny. 

"Well, how was that?" Reed asked.

"Fantastic."


	8. The Human Furnace

Reed woke early the next morning and left Johnny snoring slightly in the bed before going back to his own room for a quick shower and change. He then had a light breakfast by himself before going to the lab to work.

A little while later he got up to refill his coffee mug in the kitchen. He paused when he heard Johnny inside giving a blow by blow description about the previous night. Normally he wasn't one to eavesdrop, but this was not a conversation he wanted to walk into and it did concern him specifically .

"And then he twisted his body around so he was fucking me and sucking me off at the same time," Johnny said excitedly, "fucking fantastic, Sue. Well, I'm sure you understand."

Sue stared at her brother in horror. The fork carrying a mouthful of pancakes she held in her hand was paused half-way to her open mouth. 

"I thought it would take longer to get him to unwind like that, or wind up like that actually, but I guess he's not as uptight as I thought," he finished and looked at his sister. "What?"

Sue put down her fork. "Johnny, I don't want details, it was weird enough to live through it."

"Your loss, my gain," Johnny shrugged.

"Not that I'm not happy for you. Just please, spare me a little, okay." Sue resumed eating.

Reed turned around and headed back to the lab. He didn't really need more coffee yet anyway. He was hurt by Sue's comments. Though he knew how Sue felt about his superpowers, he'd never heard her say it so bluntly before. Reed wondered when the novelty of his super stretching would wear off with Johnny and he'd start being grossed out by Reed's abilities as well.

Soon, the front door could be heard opening and the science team that worked with Reed started piling in. Reed laid his empty mug by the computer and resumed working.

Reed tried to concentrate on his work for the rest of the day. Sometime in the afternoon, though, Johnny passed by the lab while Reed was giving out instructions to Todd, the neuroscience guy. Reed briefly looked up to see Johnny hold up nine fingers and mouth the words "my room" before giving him a wink and walking off. Reed faltered in his speech and Todd looked away trying to hide a smile. After that Reed found it hard to stay focused.

At 9:30pm, long after everyone had gone home for the day, Johnny wandered into the lab and found Reed typing away at the computer.

"Am I going to have to drag you out of here every night?" Johnny asked with a playful smile.

Reed looked at the clock on his monitor. "Oh, sorry."

"You know, if you set it up on your calendar the computer will warn you with anticipation when your appointments are drawing near."

"You want me to schedule sex into my calendar?" Reed turned his chair around to face an approaching Johnny.

"Perhaps you just like this office more than my bed?" Johnny teased. He leaned in, and placed his hands on the armrests of Reed's chair, hovering over him. "I can work with that."

"What? No, Sue could just walk in any moment."

"She's not going to wander back in to work this late. She's a workaholic, but no where near as bad as you. Anyway, if you're worried about people walking in then just make a lot of sound to give them warning."

Johnny kneeled down before Reed. Then he started to unbutton and unzip Reed's pants.

"We can go to your room," Reed looked down at Johnny.

"No, I'm comfortable, " Johnny said causally. He slid Reed's pants down a little, enough to start massaging Reed's already half-hard dick with his hands. "You were real good last night, Dr. Richards. To repay you, I thought I'd show you a little of what I can do."

Reed swallowed. "What's that."

"Just sit back and relax. Perhaps this will give you something to think about tomorrow when you're working in here." Johnny slid Reed's boxers down as well, freeing Reed's dick from the confines. "Just remember to make a lot of sound. 'oh, Johnny, you're the best.' Stuff like that."

Johnny looked up at Reed with that mischievous grin before bending his head down and taking Reed into his mouth. He'd never done this before, but of course knew the logistics from having been on the receiving end so many times. This hadn't been his original intention when coming to the lab either, but Johnny ran on instinct, and he had wanted to show Reed a little about the benefits of fucking a human furnace.

Slowly, Reed came to the realization that Johnny was infusing heat with his mouth and tongue. What was normally a very warm area to begin with, was incredibly hot. It wasn't anything painful, but that warmth traveled through Reed's body like nothing he had ever felt before, letting him know that Johnny's power had it's sexual advantages as well.

Johnny didn't think he'd be turned on by sucking Reed off. He'd mainly done it to show off to Reed. Maybe it was Reed's good hygiene, maybe Reed just tasted good, but Johnny was struggling to get more of Reed into his mouth and secretly wished he knew how to deep throat to further impress Reed. The more he could feel Reed twitch, the harder his own cock was becoming.

The room was very still and quiet, but Johnny's sucking noises were like a pounding in Reed's ears. He felt the need to reciprocate somehow and let his hands wander down to start unbuttoning Johnny's fly. 

Johnny stopped briefly and looked at Reed's impossibly long arms lowering his pants. Immediately, Reed stopped and pulled his arms back to a normal length.

"Reed, no," Johnny started and Reed looked abashed. Johnny realized Reed had misunderstood him. "I mean don't stop. Don't stop yourself from using your superpowers when we fuck. I like it." Johnny gave Reed's cock an especially hot lick. "You like mine too, right?"

"Yes," Reed whispered.

"Good," Johnny smiled. "Keep at it then." With that Johnny took Reed's cock back into his mouth and continued to try and milk it.

Once Reed had Johnny's fly open and his jeans and boxers around his knees, Reed moved one hand to stroke Johnny's hard dick, and the other to massage Johnny's balls. The intimate touch prompted Johnny to speed up his pace with Reed, and he felt infinitely gratified he'd ever had the idea of fucking Mr. Fantastic

Reed could feel his orgasm building quickly. He didn't want to finish first and leave Johnny unsatisfied so he tried to stave off, tried to build up Johnny's pleasure instead. He used one finger from the hand on Johnny's balls and stretched it around to Johnny's ass. Slowly, he inserted it into Johnny and started massaging the Human Torch's prostate as well.

It was too much for Johnny, he whimpered around Reed's dick. Within seconds of each other, the two men reached their peaks and came. Reed shut his eyes and groaned out loud into the room. Johnny found himself with a mouthful of Reed's cum. He took a second to wonder, but then mentally shrugged and swallowed.

"Johnny, you're so" Reed panted, "well, hot."

"I know." 

Suddenly the two were distracted by a noise coming from outside the lab, but before they could think to move and cover themselves, it was too late.

"Hey Reed, we're back," Ben stepped into the lab. "I knew you'd still be- oh, my god!" 

Reed quickly started pulling up his pants. "Ben! Uh, Johnny was just, I mean -"

But Ben's eyes were rolling into his head and he fell back unto the floor which broke underneath him in a spray of blue tile. 

Johnny turned to face Ben's prone form. "You'd think we would have heard a ton of rock moving this way," he mused.

Alicia stepped into the room then. "I told him not to come in here."

Reed rushed over to Ben while zipping up his fly. "I think he fainted."

Johnny walked over to Ben after fixing his own clothes. "At least he didn't come in 10 seconds earlier." 

"Yeah, from what I heard, it probably would have killed him," Alicia said with a smile.


	9. Test Results

"Reed, what are you doing? Honestly."

Reed was sitting in the kitchen with a now conscious Ben. The noise of the Thing fainting had woken up Sue, who had run into the lab in her pajamas. Reed had to ignore his own embarrassment, doubled by Johnny's cocky remarks and detailed explanation to Sue on what had occurred, in order to attend to Ben. Once the rock had woken up, everyone had left them tactfully alone (although Sue had to drag Johnny) and Reed led Ben into the kitchen for some water.

"Ben, we were just experimenting." Reed couldn't look Ben in the eye; instead he stared at his own glass of water.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Just a few days."

"I don't get it," Ben shook his head. "Are you gay now? Cause if you are it's okay. I'm fine with that. But even if you were, since when is Johnny gay?"

"I'm not gay. We were just... we'd never been with another man, so he wanted to try it out."

"Aha!" Ben slammed a hand into the metal table and made a dent. "Sorry."

"Johnny can melt it back into place."

"That damn kid. I knew this was all his fault somehow."

"You can't blame Johnny."

"Reed." Ben gave him a sidelong glance.

"No, I didn't have to go along with it." Reed tried to defend Johnny.

"Okay, fine." Ben paused for a moment to think. "Did you have sex with him?"

Reed rolled his eyes.

"Sex, sex. Not Bill Clinton's idea of sex. But you know, I only saw... and. well, did you?"

"Yes," Reed confessed to his water glass.

"Wow." Ben sat silent.

_______________________________

"What's the big deal, anyway?" Johnny said to Sue.

The two were sitting on the sofa awaiting Reed and Ben to come out of the kitchen. The TV was on but neither was paying much attention to the show. 

"Ben's his best friend, Johnny. He just wants to know what's going on." Sue reasoned. "It is a big deal despite what you might think."

"It's not anyone's business anyway," Johnny was starting to get angry wondering what Ben might be saying to Reed. It would be just his luck that after all his hard work getting Reed into bed, Ben would talk him out of it.

"Isn't your curiosity satisfied by now?" Sue asked.

"Are you nuts? We haven't done half... no a tenth... of the things I've already imagined. I want to try rimming next."

"Ugh," Sue got up off the sofa. "Johnny, just... ew." 

Johnny looked up to watch Sue's retreating back. He almost smiled but then he heard something slam in the kitchen and was reminded of why he was sitting on the sofa in the first place.

_____________________________

"So"

"So," Reed mirrored.

"Are you and Johnny gonna keep on at it?" Reed sighed and Ben quickly kept talking, "I know it's not my business Reed. But you've never been one for casual sex, and the term was invented for people like Johnny. I'm just trying to be a friend here."

"Well I suppose there's no need to keep... to continue this experimentation with Johnny, " Reed said evenly. "We accomplished what we set out to do."

"Which was?"

"To find out if we would enjoy homosexual intercourse by participating in some first hand experimentation. So now we know." Reed took a long drink of water.”

"Reed, if this is what you want to do, you know, date guys and stuff, I'm your friend. I'm not gonna think differently of you or anything."

"Thanks, Ben," Reed smiled at his friend. "I'm not going to start hanging out at gay bars or anything. I suppose it's just another option now for me."

"And if you and Johnny start dating or something..." 

Reed laughed. "I don't think Johnny would have kept knocking on my door for much longer anyway. You know how he is."

"Yeah," Ben agreed, and then a thought occurred to him. "Does Sue know about this?"

"Yeah. She doesn’t seem to mind at all." 

If Doctor Doom came in with a friendly fruit basket, Ben thought, it wouldn’t seem out of place on this night.

___________________________________________

Johnny sat on the couch alone. Just a few moments later he turned his head when he heard Reed and Ben walking into the living room. They stopped short at the end of the couch Johnny was sitting on.

"You okay big guy?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah, sorry for freaking out on you like that. I'm sure you understand."

"Yeah. How was your vacation?"

"Great. We brought you guys back some souvenirs. Alicia and I will show them to you tomorrow."

"Sounds good," Reed put in.

"Well, I'm gonna go to bed now, long day you know." Ben yawned and walked in the direction of his room.

"Night, Ben." Reed and Johnny called after him.

"So, everything okay then?" Johnny asked Reed.

"Yeah. We're good. We're all good." Reed stuck his hands in his pockets. He couldn't look at Johnny when he added; "I'll see you in the morning."

"What?" Johnny said.

"I'm gonna go to bed now too. I'll see you in the morning." Reed turned quickly and tried to walk away casually. He could hear Johnny turn the TV off and get off the couch. He could hear Johnny's footsteps following him.

"Well, I'll join you," Johnny said.

"Maybe we should call it a night. There's been enough excitement I think." Reed kept walking. He couldn't look at Johnny.

"Stop," Johnny commanded with a hand on Reed's shoulder. "Are you blowing me off for tonight or for good?"

Reed turned to face Johnny. The glare coming off the human torch might have had flames behind it, but it was too quick for Reed to catch. "We fulfilled the purpose of the experiment. I don't see the need for further testing."

"What?" Johnny was getting angry. "What did Ben say to you?" 

"Ben's not the issue."

"Really? An hour ago you were giving me a hand job as I sucked you off and now all of a sudden we're done experimenting?" 

"Johnny. What more do you want to know? Haven't we learned how we feel about gay sex yet? I have." Reed was starting to feel guilty, but he wasn't sure why.

"You liked it. Tell me you didn't and I'll call you a liar."

Reed sighed. "I'm not denying that I enjoyed it. But what would be the point of continuing?"

"The fact that it feels fucking good," Johnny said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Reed smiled sadly. "I'm not a casual sex kinda guy Johnny." Reed got serious then and kept talking. “You don't really need me anymore. How about Todd, the neuroscience guy?"

"Todd the neuroscience guy can't stretch his tongue to the size of a large dick." Johnny deadpanned.

That caught Reed’s attention, things slowly starting to slip into place. "Was this really about having sex with a guy?"

"What do you mean?" Johnny crossed his arms over his chest.

"Was this about having sex with a guy or having sex with Mr. Fantastic? With someone who can stretch in inhuman ways."

Johnny knew he was busted. "Well, both actually. I mean, it was kinda like killing two birds with one stone."

"Really?" Reed said with bit of bite.

"What does it matter? Why would you want to stop?" Johnny asked. Suddenly Johnny grabbed Reed and slammed him into the wall behind him. "There's so much left we can do," Johnny promised with a kiss.

"Johnny," Reed pushed him away lightly, "either way, now you know. You know what sex with a guy is like; you know what sex with Mr. Fantastic is like. Let's just stop before things get complicated."

"Why would they get complicated?" Johnny challenged.

"I don't know," Reed answered honestly. "Let's not find out."

With that Reed turned away from Johnny and walked to his room. Johnny stared after him, watched him shut the door behind him.


	10. Deep Dish Meat Lovers

Two weeks later and Johnny was thrusting desperately into the second girl of the evening. The first was lying next to them in the bed lazily pinching the other girl's nipples. They were strippers he'd picked up earlier for the sole reason that they had managed to stretch and bend themselves around the pole in near-inhuman ways.

"Stop," the girl underneath him was tapping him on the shoulder.

"What?" Johnny paused.

"Fuck I can't take anymore," she cried, "You're the king, you're the best. Now will you fucking come already?"

Johnny sighed and pulled out. A glance at the clock showed he'd spent the last 3 hours fucking both girls, one after the other and back again, and he was still having trouble coming.

"Baby, maybe you needed three girls?" The other stripper laughed.

"I can suck you off for a bit if you want?" The girl underneath him offered.

Johnny sat back and nodded his head. The girl moved out from underneath him and got herself comfortable before taking the condom off Johnny’s erection and sucking it into her mouth. Johnny closed his eyes and willed himself to concentrate on the simple pleasure.

"Who are you thinking about?" the other girl said. 

"Who says I'm thinking about anyone else?" Johnny breathed out.

She didn't answer, simply ran her hands down his chest, lazily tweaking his nipples this time. Then she started running her tongue up and down his spine. Johnny, eyes still closed, started forming a fantasy in his head. In his mind he saw himself thrusting into Reed's ass, not the girl's mouth currently wrapped around him. In his mind Reed was also the one giving his back a tongue bath. He dug his fingers into his leg and came quickly.

The spitting noise made him open his eyes. 

"Ugh, you could've warned me." The girl said.

"Cut him some slack. The guy's a superhero."

"Which is why he didn't just get slapped in the face." 

"Ok girls," Johnny said tightly, "funs over. Who needs a cab?"

_________________________

Johnny closed the door to the apartment. After that night when Ben came back and Reed blew him off (and not in the good way), Johnny had just gone back to his old ways with a vengeance. In the past 14 days he'd screwed about 17 different people. That was a record even for him. 

He made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water where he found Alicia stirring some tea. 

"Hey, Johnny, how are you?"

Johnny gave a dramatic grunt before grabbing a water bottle from the refrigerator. He then sunk into a chair in front of Alicia at the dining table.

"That good, huh?"

"What can I say, those girls wore me out." 

"Girls? Plural? You never change, Johnny." She smiled knowingly. "Well, except for your brief stint into homosexuality."

"You wanna talk about that do you?" Johnny sighed.

"Why? Do you? I was just taking a jab at you."

"It's over with Reed,” Johnny took a swig of water. “God, why is he such a goody-goody? It was so fucking hot. It was amazing. How can he not want to do it again?"

It took Johnny 3 days and 3 girls for him to admit that he just wasn't getting the same satisfaction that he had gotten with Reed. The fourth night he doubled up on girls and the fifth night he tripled. The sixth night the city fell under great peril and the Fantastic Four were called to the rescue.

"It was so amazing for you," Alicia pointed out. "What did Reed get out of it that he couldn't have with someone else."

"What do you mean?"

A week after Reed had called it quits, Johnny broke down and went to a gay bar. He figured since the women weren't satisfying him the way they use to perhaps what he really needed was another guy. His name had been Jerry and they had gone back to his place a few blocks away. Jerry had shown him a real good time, but Johnny was still left with want for what Reed could do.

"You got to be with a super-being that can stretch to unnatural ways, a feature I can only imagine goes very far in the bedroom. Can you do any unique tricks in bed?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Johnny smirked.

"So you can't?"

"I can do stuff," Johnny protested. "I mean, nothing like Reed obviously, but there are a few things... well, one thing mostly I can do. You know how I can heat up other things through my body right-"

"No, Johnny." Alicia cut off quickly. "I get it okay. That wasn't really my point."

"Just defending my manhood," Johnny smiled.

Another night Johnny had visited one of his old flings. The really kinky one with the box full of sex toys. She had been more than happy to peg him with her strap on when he asked her to. And while he will admit it had been the most satisfying night since Reed walked away from him, he still fantasized of what Reed could have done with that box of toys.

"My point," Alicia took a sip of her tea before continuing, "is that you got what you wanted. And from I heard you sort of tricked Reed into giving you what you wanted."

"He's a smart guy, he should've been able to talk himself out of it if he was opposed to the idea."

"Regardless," Alicia continued. "The point is Reed doesn't have sex for the same reasons you do. You suggested it as an experiment. And when the experiment was done, so was Reed."

"See? I was used."

Alicia laughed. "In a way."

Things between Reed and Johnny had been slightly tense for that first week. Reed would blush every time Johnny walked into the same room. He would then make some lame excuse to leave. After the team had defeated the big evil a week ago everything had gone back to normal between them. Mortal peril seemed to have a way of making things like a couple of romps in the bedroom seem trivial.

"So if you wanted to keep sleeping with Reed you'd have to approach him in a different way."

"How?"

"I don't know." Alicia took another drink from her tea.

"Oh, you're a lot of help." Johnny said sarcastically.

"I think you should just talk to Reed, like an adult. Figure things out. Reed's more of a relationship guy, you're not. Perhaps somewhere in between you two can meet."

The closest thing Johnny had ever had to a girlfriend was that army chick, Frankie, he met when the world was in mortal peril from the Silver Surfer's planet eating boss. It had lasted a total of 3 months of actual monogamy before the girl got pissed about Johnny's "immaturity" was the word she used. Johnny wasn't really too broken up about it. He knew there was another thrill just waiting around the corner. And there was, in the form of Brazilian twins.

"We couldn't be more different if we tried," Johnny commented.

"Opposites attract, right?" 

"So they say."

Alicia got up from the table and put the mug in the dishwasher. 

"Well, good luck Johnny. I'm off before Ben wakes up."

"Hey, you tell that guy I still got a score to settle with him."

"It's not Ben's fault, Johnny," she smiled. "Reed's a big boy."

"Ooh, I could so make a bad pun with that. But as far as I'm concerned, your boyfriend talked my boyfriend out of putting out." 

Alicia laughed loudly. "I'll tell him you said that."

"I was joking." Johnny blushed.

"Have a good morning, Johnny. I'll see you later."

"You too. Thanks for listening."

Alicia nodded in acknowledgment before leaving Johnny alone with his thoughts.

Johnny realized that it was going to take a long time before he could shake the memory of sex with the aptly named Mr. Fantastic. That night he'd been walking by the kitchen door when Reed was finishing a glass of water. There was an ice cube stuck at the end of the glass and Reed snatched it up with an elongated tongue. That image had Johnny flying off to the strip joint where he found those two strippers he'd just shoved out the door not half an hour ago.

He just wasn't done with Reed. There was so much more they could do together, and he was so itching to try. But his looks and charm hadn't snagged Reed, and his reason had only gone so far. 

"Up early or never went to bed?"

Johnny looked up at Reed smirking and leaning in the doorway. He was wearing sleep pants and a tight fitting wife-beater style shirt. Johnny was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire that rose up in him at the moment. So much so that the water bottle in his hand started to melt. Johnny realized he'd just have to think of a way back into Reed's pants. No one else was going to satisfy him right now.


	11. Eating Sushi

"Hey Reed," Johnny was standing in the doorway to the laboratory. It had been a whole day since he'd had that conversation with Alice. He'd tried to spend it plotting to get Reed, but the inactivity was making him slightly insane. 

"Yes, Johnny," Reed replied without looking up from his screen.

"I was going over to Su-Jun's for dinner. You want anything?" Johnny had decided to go with the friendly approach and try to rebuild some trust with Reed. It seemed the best course of action except for the fact that he wasn’t too sure Reed had trusted him very much in the first place. Alice was right in that Reed didn't date casually for very long. He always preferred long term relations and would be married to Sue if it hadn't of fallen apart. 

"Hmmm," Reed looked up, "do they have sushi to go? Do we have their menu?"

"I'm pretty sure the sushi is not to go, and we don't have their menu" Johnny said. If he or Reed were a girl, Johnny would have just asked Reed out on a date. Or maybe it didn't matter that they were both guys, maybe Reed would have been pissed off enough at being used. "Why don't you just come with me?"

He could see where Reed physically stiffened. Normally he always found that amusing, but not right now. 

"Don't tell me we can't even go pick up Chinese food together." The disappointment in Johnny's voice was genuine. He wasn't planning on putting any moves on Reed tonight. It was too soon. But he hadn't imagined that Reed would be hesitant to go get take-out with him.

"I didn't say that," Reed turned around in his chair to face Johnny. "I'll go."

"Really?" Johnny asked.

Reed nodded. 

"I wasn't going to try and jump you or anything," Johnny joked sounding more like himself.

Reed laughed. "I'm sorry, Johnny. I believe you. Where's the rest of the team?"

"They ordered pizza. I'm not in the mood."

Reed thought about it for a second. "Yeah, me either" Reed stood up. "Let's go."

_______________________________________

The two friends walked into the restaurant and moved over to the take-out side. Reed looked through the menu and then asked an employee, but the sushi wasn't to go and so he asked if Johnny would mind dining in. 

Soon, they were seated and after the waiter brought water and they gave their orders, the table was dead in conversation. Reed picked up his fork and looked at it as if it were fascinating. Johnny people watched for a little bit.

He was slightly disappointed with the awkward silence between them. He still wasn't sure what path would lead him back into Reed's pants, but he was pretty sure that this would only be detrimental. 

"So, how's things at the lab," Johnny tried to make conversation.

"Fine," Reed answered and looked around. "We're just working on the new space module now most of the time."

"Oh, that must be interesting."

"Yeah."

And then the conversation died again. Johnny almost felt like he'd been set up on a blind date by someone who was trying to get back at him for something. Maybe he should take Sue's other advice and get Reed loaded on alcohol.

"Do you come here often," Johnny asked.

Reed gave him a startled look and then he smiled. And then he started laughing. Johnny wasn't sure he'd ever seen Reed laugh so much, and it was a shame really, because he had a pretty nice smile.

"I'm sorry," Johnny interjected with a smile. "I didn't mean for it to come out that way."

"I know," Reed said. "That's what made it so funny."

Johnny gave a small laugh.

"Um," Reed started to answer Johnny’s previous question after his laughter receded. "I don't know. You guys always get take-out from so many different places, I never know what I'm eating. Besides, Sue always orders for me."

"She still orders for you?"

"Ben does too sometimes," Reed said. Although he didn't look sad, he looked pensive.

"You still hot for my sister?" Johnny asked. He was suddenly afraid, but then just as suddenly thought he might be able to take advantage of that.

"I love her," Reed said. "But I don't want to date her anymore, if that's what you mean. I wish things had worked out, but they didn't. And the reasons for us breaking up are still there."

"Which are?" Johnny asked. 

Reed shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Even if the reasons magically disappeared, the fact that we couldn't overcome them together is reason enough."

"Damn," Johnny mused. "That was really deep."

"Sorry," Reed said. "I don't mean to be a party pooper."

"It's okay," Johnny said. "This isn't a party. Besides, what you said makes sense."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Granted, I've never been in a relationship for more than 3 months, but I can see where you're coming from. A relationship is kind of like a partnership, right?"

"How do you mean," Reed leaned forward.

"Well, like you and Ben. You've been best friends since the beginning of time and you went to school together, got super powers together, fight evil together. All these years through all of the ups and downs you've gone through it all together."

"Should I date Ben then," Reed laughed.

"If you do then Alicia's going to try and kick my ass, and there's no way I would feel comfortable hitting a blind woman."

Reed smiled fully.

"I'm just saying," Johnny continued, "that you and Sue were suppose to have that and I guess you didn't."

“But Sue and I got superpowers together and went to school together and fight crime together,” Reed mused. He looked out the window of the restaurant silently. Johnny left him to his thoughts until the food arrived.

"Food, Gumby." Johnny hit Reed's foot under the table.

Reed turned back. "Oh, thanks."

"I didn't mean to make deep conversation."

"No, it was nice talking about it," Reed opened up the chopstick bag. "Thanks, Johnny."

"Anytime," Johnny added and dared a flirtatious wink which made Reed blush.

"You're never going to let me live it down are you?" Reed said somewhat amused while he started eating his meal.

"What do you mean," Johnny asked innocently.

"Us. You're always going to tease me a little about it," 

"I told you I wasn't going to try and jump you," Johnny said a little bit agitated.

"And I believe you," Reed tried to coax. "I'm not angry. I was just saying."

Johnny sighed and looked towards all the people in the restaurant while he finished chewing.

"Reed, I'm not going to lie and say I'm completely 100% fine with your decision to end things with us. I'm not. But since you brought it up - "

"We don't need to discuss this really," Reed said.

"I want to, okay?" Johnny asked seriously. He hadn't intended to bring it up any time soon. He didn't want to push Reed away further, but since Mr. Fantastic brought it up, he might as well take the opportunity.

"Okay," Reed nodded and put down the chopsticks.

"I just...uh.."Johnny blanked. Reed had screwed his momentum and Johnny forgot what exactly it was he wanted to say. He was sure it was going to sound somewhat profound.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry if I..." nothing was starting to sound right in Johnny's head. He didn't know what he was apologizing for. He didn't think Reed would appreciate it if he made another pass at him, at least not tonight. 

"I'm not going to tease you maliciously. But I can't promise I won't flirt," Johnny said seriously. "You ended things. I wanted to keep going. So you can't expect me to just shut off my attraction for you so quickly."

"You're not attracted to me personally. If someone else could stretch like I could you'd be running to them."

"But they can't," Johnny said. "Look, I wouldn't have started something with you and then treated you like a $2 whore when I have to work with you every day of my life. I do respect you, you know. And you don’t see me running after Ben and Sue trying to get them into bed to see what it’s like."

“Sue’s your sister,” Reed whispered. He looked around to make sure no one was listening. 

“Exactly,” Johnny said. “I do have some morals. So don’t think it was only because you have superpowers. If you were a 300 pound gorilla with bad breath and super-stretchy powers, I wouldn’t have been knocking on your door.”

Reed stayed quiet, but a small tug at the right side of his lips betrayed his emotions.

Johnny smiled. "Your food's getting cold." He pointed out.

Reed looked down at his plate, "I really don't feel like eating fish anymore."

Johnny started laughing hysterically at the pun Reed had just unknowingly delivered. Reed looked confused for a minute. Once he realized what he had said he started laughing along with Johnny.

_________________________________________

Johnny had pitied Reed and switched plates with him, giving Reed his mandarin chicken while he ate Reed's sushi platter. Conversation never went back down the serious road and the two ended up spending the evening getting to know each other better with simple conversation about food, travel, and anecdotes about their experiences with both.

Johnny had ended up paying for dinner because the waiter had brought them the bill before Reed could ask to split it. He offered to pay, but Johnny reminded him that it was his own idea to go out to dinner. This way, Johnny thought, Reed would feel obligated to go out to dinner with him again if only to settle the score.

They had a few good laughs reminiscing on the way home about the problems they've faced with fans awaiting them around the block. 

It was getting late when they got back to the Baxter building. The elevator ride was somewhat quiet as there was another person that got on with them. Johnny mused how much the night had felt like a date. But not a first date cause he'd already slept with Reed. This was something new all together. 

Reed was starting to get nervous and he didn't want to admit it had something to do with Johnny. Tonight was something he'd never experienced. This was a side of Johnny he rarely saw. While he'd always considered Johnny a friend, this was the first time he thought maybe Johnny saw him as a friend too.

The other guy in the elevator got off and that left three floors for the two superheroes all to themselves. 

Reed yawned.

"You should get some sleep Reed. If it wasn't for me you'd still be in there working, a slice of cold pizza next to the computer."

The elevator dinged and opened to their floor.

"This was a nice change," Reed stepped out and walked towards the residential area of the lab Johnny behind him.

Reed's room was first and when he reached it Johnny stayed standing behind him.

"So I'll see you tomorrow," Johnny said.

Reed turned around to look at him. It felt so much like a date to Reed he was starting to wonder if he should hug or shake Johnny’s hand. He was suddenly reminded of his first date with Sue and how he wasn’t sure she might want a good night kiss or not. He hadn’t kissed her, and Sue always teased him or used it against him depending on what they were talking about.

"Goodnight Johnny. Thanks for dinner." 

Reed held his hand out for shaking. Johnny arched an eyebrow at him before moving a hand up to the side of Reed's face, running through his hair softly and waiting for Reed to move away which he didn't.

"Even if we're not here anymore," Johnny tugged Reed's face slightly," we're beyond a handshake."

"Is this why you invited me to dinner?" Reed asked.

Johnny let go and stepped back immediately. "Don't say things like that. I like you, just deal with it."

With that Johnny turned and headed over to his own room, he had to force himself not to look back, but was conscious of the fact that he didn't hear Reed's door close until after Johnny had already closed his own door behind him.


	12. Breathing and Burning

"Reed, look out!" Sue screamed.

Reed turned his head in time to see a pick-up truck 2 seconds away from hitting him straight on.

It did, and Reed felt himself get squashed between it and the building he'd been standing in front of. He may have momentarily lost consciousness, it was so hard to tell sometimes when he took blows that would have killed any normal living organism. He was dizzy and he felt like he was wavering a bit, but soon he felt the truck start to back away from him.

"Reed," Ben's voice this time, "You all right?"

Ben was pushing the truck off of him. Reed slowly opened his eyes and pulled himself back into his normal shape.

"I'll be fine," Reed said. "Where's Sue and Johnny?"

"I'm right here," Sue's voice again closer this time. She walked up behind Ben. "Johnny went after Klaw."

"Alone?" Reed stood up carefully. The pain was ebbing away. "Which way did he go?"

"Follow me," Sue said and ran off to their small planes.

It was 2 days after the Chinese dinner with Johnny. The first day afterwards Johnny had gone to eat lunch with some of his sponsors. He had brought back a sandwich and soda and left it on Reed's desk. This was a precursor for the rest of the days. Johnny never pushed, sometimes he didn't even speak, but Reed would find little tokens from Johnny all over the place.

On the third day the alarm on the computer went off as surely as they did in the military databases they were connected to. The military official they were normally in contact with alerted them of a super-villain currently wreaking havoc overseas. The Fantastic Four heeded the call.

They got into their inter-connected jets, Johnny flew alongside them. They landed near the smoke rising from the few buildings in the small city. The bad guy, Ulysses Klaw, a Dutch scientist they had faced before was demolishing cars and streets with seeming randomness using his solidified sound generator. When they tried to stop him it became obvious his powers had been enhanced somehow. He seemed to be as strong as Ben. It also seemed that he had been waiting for them .

It was in the midst of the battle that Reed had been crushed between a truck and a building. 

"Klaw took off," Sue explained as she ran. "He can fly somehow and Johnny took off after him."

"We gotta hurry," Ben said. "Who knows what else that guy can do now."

The temporary trio got into their small planes and took off. They separated in the air and Sue took the lead showing them in the direction Johnny had left. The radars on their planes soon picked up Johnny’s transmitter flying miles ahead of them. They sped up.

\------------------------------------------------

Johnny was finding it easy to keep up with Klaw even if he couldn't catch up and over take him. They had flown past three different countries as far as Johnny could tell. Eventually Klaw flew into an opening on the side of a mountain. Johnny followed.

His own flames lit up the cavern around him allowing him to see inside. He almost hit a wall before he turned quickly but not quick enough. His arm hit the rock and skidded a bit before he could he get his bearings. 

It was a hollowed out tunnel and Johnny guessed Klaw knew the twist and turns pretty well and his sonar powers allowed him to "see" in the darkness. But Johnny didn't have all those advantages and had to slow down.

Soon he reached a larger opening.

"Where are you?" Johnny whispered as he flew around the cave.

"Over here," Klaw said from somewhere to Johnny's left.

Quickly, Johnny sent a stream of flame in the direction of the voice. He saw Klaw jump out of the direction to the left. He followed along with his stream of fire and noticed quickly that they were not alone.

"Noticed my friends did you," Klaw asked.

Johnny aimed both streams of fire, one out of each arm, to the sound of Klaw's voice again. He saw Klaw quickly move out of the way.

This time, as Johnny tried to send out another flame in the direction Klaw went, he was attacked from the right side. He quickly flamed up even hotter only to be attacked by the left.

"I made them," Klaw said. "They won't stop attacking you. They feel no pain from the fire."

Johnny scorched one of the monsters that had grabbed his leg. It vaguely resembled a gargoyle. He saw it fall to the ground and turn to ashes. 

"Yeah, but I'm killing them anyway," Johnny said.

"I can make more," Klaw said conversationally.

More attacks were pulling Johnny down from where he was flying. They seemed to be pulling him in a very specific direction. He also couldn't help but notice that his flames were burning less and less hot as time passed.

"You're burning out Johnny," Klaw mused.

"What are these things?" Johnny asked as he continued to fight.

"They are made up of the same things I am, but they aren't sentient on their own."

Johnny hit the ground, the monsters started dragging him away over rocks as he burned with less and less fire.

"The thing about caves is that there's not a lot of oxygen in them," Klaw said, "especially not this far into a mountain."

Johnny felt himself getting dragged onto something smoother this time. He glanced about with what little flames were coming off of him. It was some sort of steel room. He was no longer fully ignited, but flames ghosted about his body trying to burn brighter.

"You burned up a lot of oxygen in this air flying through it and fighting off my pets," Klaw said. He walked in front of Johnny as Johnny was drug backwards. "Luckily I don't need oxygen, and neither do they. You, on the other hand, do need oxygen to survive and for your powers to manifest."

"I know how I work," Johnny said he said through clenched teeth. 

The monsters stopped dragging Johnny and held him down to the floor. Klaw stood looking at him from the entrance of the room.

"I imagine you do," Klaw said. "So I wasn't sure you'd follow me down here without your friends, but you did. So now I'm leaving you in here."

"My friends will find me," Johnny said.

"I’m sure they will, too. But since my pets here will be trying to dismember you as soon as I leave, you'll be burning up a lot more oxygen fending them off. Goodbye, Human Torch."

Klaw reached to the side and brought a large steel door shut. Johnny realized he was locked in an air tight steel room with three ugly monsters.

______________________________________________________________

"I lost Johnny," Sue said into the headset connecting her with her team mates.

"How?" Ben said.

"I'm locking in on the coordinates of the last location," Sue said she sounded desperate. "It's probably just interference."

"Yeah," Ben said.

They had been following the same exact trail that Johnny had flown so as not to miss any possible issues along the way. The transmissions had stopped in one particular spot inside the Carpathian Mountains. Reed was in the lead now flying as fast as that machine allowed and cursing himself for not making it faster. 

When the team reached the opening in the cave it was obvious the planes would not fit inside. They had to get off and go in by foot. It was a long way down through many corridors that just seemed to go down forever. They had flashlights to light the way. Reed ran ahead first, somewhat blindly. Sue followed biting her lip in worry. Ben brought up the rear sounding like an avalanche.

After three minutes Sue had to stay behind. She couldn't breathe. The air was too thin, there wasn't enough oxygen.

No one wanted to think about what that meant for Johnny.

Reed and Ben went on, but after 3 more minutes, Reed couldn't hide his discomfort either. Ben ordered him back before he passed out from the small amount of air. After all, less people breathing it in meant more for Ben. The Thing went on alone.

Reed was always worried for all of them when they went on missions. Sitting on that floor waiting for Ben to return... it'd been a long time since he felt so helpless.

When he was dating Sue he worried for her safety often, but tried not to tell her to stay back at the building. She would probably think he was being sexist. Admittedly, there were missions they'd won only thanks to her unique powers.

After he and Sue split up he still worried about her, but he realized that he really worried over all of them equally. He didn't worry over Sue any less now that they were just friends, it simply opened his eyes to the fact that he worried over all of them because he loved them all. Even Johnny.

Ben was his best friend, Sue was his big love, and Johnny was his... well, he wasn't really now was he. He was an occasional friend, an almost brother-in-law, brother-in-arms, and a for a brief time a lover. And he did love Johnny, Reed thought as he heard a loud sound of metal twisting and then a crash from the direction Ben had gone. 

"Let's go, Reed," Ben voice carried through the darkness.

Reed looked into the darkness and shined his light to see Ben carrying Johnny over his shoulder coming in closer and closer. What kind of love? Reed asked himself. But now was not really the time for that.

"Is he okay?" Reed asked.

"He's got a pulse," Ben said straining. "But he needs oxygen. We do too."

Reed got up off the floor slowly. Johnny was alive and they needed to get out of there to keep him alive.

They walked back up all the winding passages. Sue was still sitting where they had left her. She shed a small tear with a smile when they told her Johnny was still alive.

When they made it out of the mountain, Ben put Johnny in the plane with Sue before climbing into the back section. 

Sue climbed in next to Johnny and touched his neck feeling for his pulse.

"Your hands are cold,” Johnny's voice whispered. His eyes were still closed, but he moved into Sue’s hand.

"Oh, Johnny," she cried and moved her hand to his face.

"Am I dead?" he asked.

"No," Reed answered. "We'll check the extent of your damages at the lab and then you can tell us what happened."

"I think this was a distraction," Johnny said weakly. He opened his eyes and looked to Reed. "He must have been planning something bigger."

"I think so too," Reed said. "We'll figure it out later."

"You gave us quite a scare kid," Ben said and patted Johnny on the head.

It was the right place for Johnny to be, Reed thought as he climbed into the front section of the plane. He should be next to his sister. But reasoning with himself didn't stop Reed from feeling the need to be near Johnny.


	13. Rock Solid Advice

Two days later and Johnny was still on bed rest as ordered by the resident medical doctor. It was making him restless now that he was feeling better. One of the benefits of being super-powered is that they were all very resilient, Ben the most so. The wounds he suffered were healing nicely and although he still sometimes winced, he really didn’t see the need to stay in bed. He tried to escape a couple of times, but Sue was hovering outside his bedroom every chance she got and would force him back inside.

He really hadn't gotten very hurt this time. He had spent most of the day playing the video game version of himself. So he got up again in another attempt to leave the room. He stuck his head out his bedroom door and looked around for Sue's smothering form. 

_______________________________________________________

 

Reed had been thinking about Johnny for the whole two days. He moved about the lab making notes and talking to people and doing everything he normally did. But everyone could tell he wasn't completely focused. 

The problem with Reed was that he wasn't very good at multi-tasking. When he focused on one thing he generally forgot about everything else. While he could run three experiments at the same time it simply meant he was focused on work, and somehow he would forget something else, like paying his bills. Sue was good for that, for remembering the things that would elude his mind at those moments.

Right now Reed was focused on Johnny. He had spent the past few days having mental debates with himself, weighing out pros and cons to a situation he wasn't even sure he wanted. He thought about whether or not to start sleeping with Johnny again. It wouldn't be just casual, on either of their parts, because he loved Johnny in some way, and he was pretty sure that Johnny would risk his own life to save Reed. But it wouldn't be serious either because Johnny wasn't a serious man, and did Reed really want to start a serious relationship with a man anyway? And if he didn't what was so wrong about being with Johnny , but if he did want to date a man seriously then starting things with Johnny again was a terrible idea.

Reed rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand. He was making himself dizzy with thought. 

"Can I ask what's driving you crazy?"

Reed looked up to see Ben standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Uh," Reed replied then dropped his head on the table in front of his coffee mug.

"That bad?" Ben asked. He walked in and took his regular chair next to Reed. "You've been walking around like a zombie, you know. There's obviously something on your mind."

"It's Johnny," Reed answered, head still prone on the table. He focused on a spot where the lines on it seemed parallel.

"Hothead? He's fine, driving Sue crazy like usual."

"I know."

"Ok," Ben said. "So what about him is driving you crazy?"

Reed smiled ruefully into the table.

"Oh," Ben said with understanding. "Wanna talk about it?" 

"I don't know what to do," Reed answered. He looked up at Ben then. "I don't know if I want to do anything."

Ben frowned. "Okay, so let's break the problem down. Let's go with you wanting to do something, because if you didn't you wouldn't even be thinking about it. So now the problem becomes should you do anything with Johnny."

"Well when you put it that way it doesn't seem like such a good idea."

"Well, that depends on how you look at it."

______________________________________________________

Sue looked at the clock on her computer screen. It was almost 7pm, and not only was she feeling hungry, but she imagined Johnny was getting hungry as well. That is, if the little brat was still even in his room.

She took off her glasses and laid them on her desk. Then she stood up and stretched.

She would go nuke some dinner for the both of them and eat in his room. She tried to remember what frozen dinners were left in the fridge as she made her way to the kitchen.

_______________________________________________________________

"What do you mean," Reed asked.

"You know I love you Reed, you’re my best bud," Ben said.

"Every time you say that, it's a precursor to you insulting me somehow."

Ben smiled. "And it's no different this time. Listen, relationships, love, sex, Johnny, those are things you can't rationalize and wrap your head around. Not just you, anyone, those things are just beyond logic."

"So your advice is..."

"Stop trying to rationalize it. What do you want, Reed?"

"I don't know," Reed admitted. He dropped his head back on the table.

"Look, if you try and think about this logically, if you try to make out lists and charts even if it's only in your head, and don't tell me you don't cause I know you do. If you try to think about it that way then you're going to be alone for the rest of your life. I mean, I'm here for you and all, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah," Reed muttered. 

"Is being with Johnny a good, logically sound, idea? Hell no, what are you even thinking Reed?" 

Reed laughed.

"The boy's a walking explosion." Ben paused. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Who knows, you might actually be happy. It’s like, is dating me a good idea? Probably not. I'm a good guy and all, but dating a giant rock that's constantly in life-ending situations doesn't sound like the smartest thing in the world. But Alicia does it anyway. I don't know why she does, she's a smart woman, but I love her and I'm grateful that she loves me, and we make each other happy."

"Don't sell yourself so short Ben," Sue's voice came in. Both men turned towards the sound of her voice. She stood in the doorway, half-way in, half-way out.

"How much of that did you hear?" Reed asked.

"Ben was being down on himself," Sue gave a small smile. She had heard a lot more than that, but didn't want to mention it. She was surprised to hear Reed was considering being with Johnny again. She hadn't wrapped her head around that yet and didn't want to say anything she might later regret. "You’re a great guy Ben. You and Alicia are very lucky to have each other. Yes, we put our lives in danger every day but that’s no different than firemen, soldiers. That doesn’t make them bad dating material."

"Thanks Suzy," Ben said. "I was just trying to tell Reed here that love doesn't always make sense you just got to go with it sometimes."

"We weren't talking about love necessarily. Just all kinds of male and...um... well relationships."

Sue nodded and walked over to the freezer. There were a few frozen dinners inside, but she was indecisive.

"Reed," Sue said. "Can you go ask Johnny what he wants for dinner?"

“Uh," Reed stuttered. He looked at Ben who gave him a thumbs up. "Yeah, sure."

"Tell him there's ravioli, turkey, or I can stick some chicken nuggets in the toaster oven."

"I'll be right back," Reed said. He stood up and left the kitchen.

"So how much of that did you actually hear?" Ben asked.

"I just want Reed to be happy," she sighed and closed the freezer door.

________________________________________________________

 

Reed walked down the hallway. As he turned the corner he almost smacked into Johnny.

"You're supposed to be in bed," Reed said.

"Care to join me?" Johnny smirked.

Reed smiled. "Sue sent me to ask you what you wanted for dinner."

"Honestly, I just want a beer and to sit outside for awhile on the balcony. It's getting stuffy in here."

Reed nodded.

"Are you going to turn me in?" Johnny joked.

Reed smiled. "No, I think," Reed paused.

"Yes?" Johnny smiled. "Thinking mighty hard there Reed."

"I think, I think I'll join you."

"Great." Johnny smiled. "You get the beers, and I'll meet you outside?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there." Reed smiled and doubled back towards the kitchen.

Johnny smiled recognizing a Reed sudden flash of genius when he saw one. Whatever it was, it was obviously in his favor.


	14. Toast

The sun had long gone down and the lights on the terrace had switched themselves on. It made a nice warm glow around Johnny and Reed. It was dim without being too dim, but bright enough to have a conversation.

Johnny and Reed had been outside now for close to two hours. Reed had come back with a couple beers for each of them, and the two had settled into chairs by a table and watched the sun go down.

There was a tray half-empty of food between them on the table. Sue had come out 30 minutes after Reed had left the kitchen with the drinks and insisted they have dinner. She dropped off the food and some more beers, and then left them alone.

Reed was leaning back in his chair staring at the stars, the hum of the city as the backdrop noise.

“You going to eat that?” 

Reed looked over at Johnny. He had a hand poised over a dinner roll.

“Split it?” Reed answered.

Johnny grabbed it and broke it in half.

“You want me to toast it for you?” 

Reed laughed softly. “No, Sue didn’t bring any butter or Jelly.”

“Yeah,” Johnny said. “Who just eats bread? It’s meant to go with something right? Butter, jelly, turkey, something.”

Reed laughed. Johnny liked the smile on his face; it suited him. He couldn’t help but notice that Reed had been smiling easier than he’d ever seen him. Perhaps it was the beer, but Johnny liked to think it was whatever he’d seen on Reed’s face earlier by the kitchen.

“It’s a travesty,” Reed said. 

Reed reached out his right arm and stretched it all the way back into the apartment. Johnny looked at the concentration on Reed’s face. Soon, Reed’s arm came back holding a jar of grape jelly.

“I hope you like grape. I couldn’t tell the flavors apart by hand.”

Johnny smiled. He held out the two halves of the dinner roll in his hand and toasted them. Reed reached for one and set it on his plate before opening the jar of jelly.

Johnny wasn’t sure how or when he had made so much headway with Reed. The unusually wound-up doctor was relaxed. Johnny took one of the beers and looked for the alcohol percentage.

“I’m not drunk,” Reed said still smiling.

“I was just reading the label,” Johnny said.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“Develop another super power we’re not aware of, Reed?” Johnny asked.

“No,” Reed said and looked over at Johnny. “But am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not. I was thinking it.”

“Is there something you want to say?”

Johnny looked over at Reed’s face. Instead of speaking he continued to finish his dinner in silence. Reed followed his example.

Soon, Johnny finished his meal and stood. He started piling the plates and empty beer bottles into the tray. Reed stood up and lifted the tray when Johnny was done.

“I’ll take it into the kitchen,” Reed said. 

“Okay.”

They went inside. Johnny followed Reed into the kitchen. It was empty when they got there. Johnny waited for Reed by the door.

“You didn’t have to wait for me,” Reed said when he turned around and saw Johnny still standing in the doorway.

“I know.”

“Do you think you should rest now? How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine Dr. Richards,” Johnny smiled. “The worst is past.”

Reed nodded and started to make his way out of the kitchen. Johnny still following behind him.

When they reached Johnny’s room Reed stopped in front the door. Johnny opened it but remained standing in the doorway.

“Are you coming?” Johnny asked.

Reed smirked. “Do you always talk in double entrendes?”

Johnny smiled and looked up for a minute in mock consideration before grabbing Reed’s shirt and pulling him forward slowly.

“If you think your answer might be misunderstood then perhaps you should answer me in detail so as to avoid confusion,” Johnny said a hairs-breath away from Reed’s face.

Reed stared at Johnny’s mouth. He hesitated in the face of Johnny’s passion and had to remind himself that he was the one that decided he was going to pursue Johnny this time.

“Did you really want to keep talking?” Reed asked.

Johnny pulled Reed into the room and closed the door behind him. He was about to turn back to Reed when he found himself pressed up against said door with Reed’s lips already attached to his own.

If there was something that could be said about Johnny, it’s that he never hesitated. It was part of what got him in trouble, but it was also part of his charm. And in this he was no different. He singed the buttons off of Reed’s shirt to avoid the complication of having to unbutton them.

Reed looked down at his scorched shirt and then up at Johnny. But the Human Torch only shrugged daring him to say anything.

Instead Reed removed the shirt off himself and then started to work on Johnny’s t-shirt, lifting it over the man’s head. Johnny removed Reed’s shirt by burning it off the man’s shoulders as well.

Reed felt the fire at his shoulders. What would have normally scorched any person just made him melt slightly. It was inconsequential, and Reed’s skin returned to normal by the time the undershirt had hit the floor. 

When Reed’s pants started to receive the same kind of treatment from Johnny, Reed paused. Perhaps he should say something before Johnny burned up all his clothes. 

“Sorry,” Johnny said. He started kissing along Reed’s neck. “You’ve made me wait for you so long.”

Reed didn’t respond. What was there to say? He had gone over the benefits and detriments of having sex with a human explosion. Burned clothing was a given.

So Reed started undoing the strings on Johnny’s pajama pants. They dropped to the floor and Johnny stepped out of them. Now Reed was able to stroke Johnny’s exposed cock. It was hot, hotter than the normal man, or at least, hotter than Reed.

Johnny fumbled slightly with Reed’s pants, but soon they joined his own on the floor pooled at their feet. Reed ran another hand up and down Johnny’s chest. It was really a thing of envy, beautifully sculpted. He could make his own chest look like that at will, but the feel wouldn’t be the same. Johnny had been a mass of muscle before the exposure that got them their superpowers. And no amount of training could get Mr. Fantastic’s rubbery frame to look like the strong man in front of him.

Johnny grabbed Reed by the back of the head and started kissing him again. He wasn’t going to wait for Reed any longer. Slow could come later, right now he wanted Reed, finally, after almost a month.

He led Reed backwards to the bed. Johnny sat down on it and opened his legs to let Reed settle in between them. Johnny smiled and wrapped his legs around the doctor.

“I’ve been exercising,” Johnny said. “I can do it this way now.”

Reed nodded, if this was how Johnny wanted it then Reed had no qualms about being accommodating. He kneeled in front of Johnny and started to kiss his way down Johnny’s chest.

Soon he was sucking on Johnny’s dick. The Human Torch sighed contently. Funny how he had missed something he’d barely had. But perhaps that was why, because he’d only been allowed a taste and then had the meal removed.

“Lay back,” Reed whispered.

Johnny complied.

Reed started licking his way lower and spread Johnny’s legs wider. The man had some idea of where Reed might be headed, but was admit to thinking he didn’t believe Reed willing despite having the man’s tongue about two inches away from it.

So it was with an audible gasp that he almost jumped up when he felt that tongue indeed start to lick his way around his entrance.

Oh, but he had fantasized about this exact moment never believing Reed would do it without massive persuasion and not a less than a bit of trickery. And Johnny was not above a bit of trickery, not when it came to getting Mr. Fantastic’s tongue in his ass.

Reed spent a long time teasing, and Johnny was getting besides himself. His legs had spread wider, one resting on the man’s shoulder.

“Reed, for the love of God,” Johnny said. "I'm clean. I've been wanting this, please."

He could feel the smile on Reed’s face against his thigh when he said that. And that’s when Reed slipped his tongue inside of Johnny. It was what was to be expected at first, no different than any other girl he’d been with and that one guy, but that was just the first minute.

The second minute was when Reed started putting that superpower of his to use, and Johnny thought, as Reed’s tongue began to expand inside of him, that he was now probably ruined for all others.

It was beyond anything Johnny could have hoped to experience, soft and smooth and contouring to every nuance in his body. When it brushed over his prostate he thought he was lost, but when Reed started to roll that tongue inside him, Johnny’s hands started scorching the bed sheets.

He was glad Reed didn’t seem to notice. Johnny’s powers were incredibly dangerous especially to Reed. But Johnny managed to keep it from out letting anywhere other than his hands. The burnt smell was drifting in the air, but all Reed could smell at that moment was Johnny.

When Reed reached a hand to Johnny’s dick, Johnny had to shove it off.

“Don’t. I’ll come.” Johnny looked up at him with barely held restraint in his eyes.

“I thought that was the idea,” Reed said with a smirk.

“Fuck me, Reed. C’mon, before I lose it.”

“I need to get lube.”

Reed made to stand, but Johnny grabbed him in a vice grip with his legs.

“Don’t you dare,” Johnny said. “Just do it Reed, I can handle it.”

Reed nodded then spit in his hand and used it to lubricate himself. He started into Johnny slowly, small, and then started growing bigger inside him as he went.

“Fast, Reed. Hard,” Johnny was sounding really desperate now. “Foreplay’s over.”

Reed leaned over Johnny and held one of the Human Torch’s legs at an angle before pounding into him seriously, more for his own benefit than Johnny’s. But still, he modified himself again to constantly rub Johnny’s prostate.

Now, he could smell the burnt bed sheets, but he didn’t think he’d ever heard anyone make the kind of noises Johnny was making so he decided to let the sheets burn if they would. He concentrated on Johnny, and the extreme warmth surrounding him. 

Johnny himself was lost in sensation. He didn’t sweat anymore, but Reed did, and his sweat was making a slippery surface on both their skins where his cock was being rubbed between the two men’s stomachs. Johnny was on a knife’s edge, and the slight touch was enough to pushed him off it.

Johnny’s body tightened around Reed, and the doctor lost himself inside of Johnny. He came and buried his face in the other man’s neck.

Johnny closed his eyes for a moment. 

“You okay?” Reed asked concerned.

“Never better,” Johnny said. “I mean that seriously. Never better.”

“You scorched the sheets,” Reed said.

“You worried about my control?” Johnny asked.

“No,” Reed said.

Reed lay on top of Johnny recuperating. Johnny’s legs lay splayed with Reed in between. He brought a hand up to caress the back of Reed’s head. How was anyone ever supposed to compete with Reed in bed? Johnny smiled at his own genius for having thought to chase him into it.


	15. Monogamy by Default

In the next month that followed the two superheroes couldn't seem to get enough of each other. Johnny was more than pleasantly surprised to see how adventurous the normally reserved Dr. Richards could be in bed. Johnny always had great ideas of what they could try and where, and so long as it wasn't in public and a door could be locked, Reed was willing to experiment with the same dedication he showed in a lab. How Sue could have given this up, Johnny would never understand.

Since subtle and discreet were two words Johnny had apparently never learned, the whole of the lab had come to know about The Human Torch and Mr. Fantastic. Sue, Alicia, and Ben were slightly amused at how domesticated the two had become. Johnny never brought anyone else home, in fact he hardly went out at night anymore at all. It was all of 9pm when Johnny would unashamedly grab Reed and go back to his room. They ate together. They slept together, and Reed only used his own room as a closet now. Sometimes they would even go out together.

But Sue worried over Reed. Johnny's attention span was notoriously short when it came to relationships and she was afraid of Reed getting hurt when Johnny decided he was bored and move on to something else. While she was surprised that Johnny seemed to have become faithful, she was sure it was only a matter of time before he strayed. 

One day Johnny had some promo work for a sponsor. He was particularly excited because he was going to get to test-drive some of the motorbikes that weren't going to be available to the public for months. 

Normally, the rest of the group was too busy doing something or other. None had the time to break away just to watch Johnny show off on a motorbike. This time though Johnny had somehow managed to guilt Reed into going along and he left Sue in charge in his absence.

It was backstage before the event that they were being introduced to all sorts of people, CEOs, drivers, publicists, and even engine designers.

"Johnny, Reed, this is Melissa," said one of the publicists. "She helped design one of the engines we have here today. Her new improvements solved that failure problem we were having last year after 10,000 miles."

Johnny looked her over. She wasn't outwardly pretty. She was average height, brown hair with brown eyes. She had that look like the nerdy girl in a movie that gets one makeover and then she's suddenly a prom queen. 

"Always a pleasure to meet a beautiful woman," Johnny held out a hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Johnny." She replied. She didn't blush, but she didn't frown. She took the compliment in stride. But when she got to Reed, the blush was unmistakable. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Reed said and held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you too, Dr. Richards,” she said. "I just finished your last paper on thermodynamics. I have about a million and one questions on it."

“Oh, well I’m always open to talk with a fellow scientist,” Reed answered.

Johnny looked between them. Figures Reed would turn an exciting day of motorbike testing into a science lesson.

"Well, I'll leave you two nerds alone," Johnny, said. "I've gotta finish working the room."

"I'll see you later, Johnny," Reed replied.

"Yeah, good luck out there," Melissa said.

Johnny slapped Reed on the back and gave Melissa a wink before disappearing into the next group of people clamoring for his attention.

After the show and after Johnny had finished talking to the press, he spotted Reed waiting with Melissa on the sidelines.

"One of the sponsors asked us to dinner" Johnny said. He looked at Melissa. “Me and Reed that is though you can tag along if you want. You guys interested?”

"Actually Melissa and I were planning on going back to the lab," Reed said. "There are just a few projects I'd like to get a second opinion on from someone who is a full time engineer."

"How does a girl get into engineering anyway?" Johnny scoffed.

"Science is not just for boys," Reed said. "Just like Barbie is not just for girls."

"I wasn't playing with Barbies. Did Sue tell you that," Johnny asked. "Barbie just had a hot bod."

“It was a joke,” Reed smiled. “I’ll see you later?”

"Yeah, maybe I'll bring home leftovers."

_________________________________________________________

When Johnny finally got home it was early; at least early for him. 

He went to Reed's bedroom first, but when finding it empty, he went to his own bedroom, stripped, and showered.

When he was all set in his pajama pants he started feeling the absence of Reed. Not every night was an acrobatic superhuman sexathon, but they always got off. He hadn't slept without the man for an entire month and he hadn't realized he had grown use to the Dr.'s presence.

It was easy enough to find Reed though. Johnny threw on his bathrobe and headed to the lab to drag the man back to bed.

Johnny heard laughing when he first went in. Melissa was still there talking to Reed. They were sitting down by Reed's desk drinking coffee. Reed felt the new presence and looked up to find Johnny leaning on the doorway.

"Hey, Johnny, you're back early."

"It's actually close to eleven," Johnny said.

Reed looked at the clock on the computer screen.

"Wow, time flies," Reed said.

"I didn't even realize it was so late," Melissa said.

"I guess we can continue this another time," Reed said to Melissa. "Call me next week. All right?"

"Sure," Melissa blushed. "I'm looking forward to... continuing our conversation."

Johnny looked at the two of them closely. Melissa was obviously blushing over Reed, and Reed seemed predictably oblivious. Not that any of it bothered him. He knew Reed wouldn’t… but Johnny didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

Reed Richards was not the cheating type, but Reed was also not actually dating Johnny. It was an experiment. It was great sex. While Johnny had anticipated Reed backing out before him for a number of reasons, he hadn’t imagined what would happen if Reed met someone else. Someone who might possibly want the same things Reed always looked for; a solid, steady, monogamous relationship. 

Melissa stood up and gathered her purse and coat. Johnny suddenly saw her as a threat. 

"Did you need something, Johnny?" Reed asked.

"Yeah, I was ready for bed so I came to find you." Johnny stated matter of fact.

Melissa dropped her cell phone with a clatter and Johnny smirked. She leaned over to pick it up and then looked away from Johnny shyly.

"Um," Reed was at a loss. He looked at Melissa to see if she took the hidden meaning in the words.

"I... I'll see you later, Reed," Melissa said.

"I'll walk you out," Reed said.

"I'll just head back to our room and wait for you there," Johnny said with a smile and left the lab.

Reed and Melissa walked to the front door. There was awkwardness now that hadn't been there before. They said formal goodbyes and then Melissa was gone. Reed was red faced and could barely look at her.

Reed was a bit agitated as he walked to Johnny’s room.

"Why did you do that?" Reed asked.

"Why does it matter," Johnny countered. "Were you interested in her or something? If you were then she has the right to know about us."

"That's not why you did it."

"I was just being honest."

"Fine." Reed answered and made to head out of the room. Johnny stood in front of him, blocking the way.

“Where are you going?” Johnny asked.

“I was going to my room,” Reed answered. 

“You haven’t used your room in over a month,” Johnny argued.

Reed stood motionless without saying a word. Perhaps Johnny wasn’t trying to be spiteful. The Human Torch liked to shock and he had always taken every opportunity to embarrass Reed in front of the lab techs. Perhaps, Reed thought, he should be grateful that Johnny wasn’t ashamed of him at the price of Johnny not being discreet.

“I’m a dick,” Johnny started. “I know it, you know it.”

Reed shrugged in a defeated gesture.

“You weren’t really interested in her were ya,” Johnny asked in his most seductive voice. He came up close to Reed, started rubbing his hands up and down the Dr.’s arms and shoulders.

“She was cute,” Reed added. “You probably scared her away though.”

“I’m way better looking,” Johnny dismissed. He started unbuttoning Reed’s shirt. 

“All right, I’ll give you that,” Reed said. Johnny took the shirt off and dropped it on the floor. “Still, she was smart, and pretty, and…”

Johnny pushed Reed onto the bed. He then took off his robe and let it drop behind him. Reed stayed quiet and looked Johnny over.

“It doesn’t matter what she is,” Johnny said. He moved towards the bed and straddled Reed. “You’re here with me.”

“I am now,” Reed said.

“What’s that suppose to mean,” Johnny asked.

“It means I’m here with you now, but your track record implies that in a few months, maybe a few days, you’ll be done with me too.”

“Reed,” Johnny started to say.

“I’m not being accusing or anything. I like you Johnny. This past month has been a lot of fun. I’ll miss it when it’s over, but I won’t resent you for it.”

Johnny looked him over. Reed wasn’t mad, and what could Johnny do? He had stressed the non-seriousness of the matter at the beginning. He’d never asked Reed to be his boyfriend or something to that effect. He’d never thought past playing out the fantasies in his head.

Not knowing what to say, Johnny relaxed and kissed Reed. His partner responded enthusiastically and the two fell over together to lie on the bed. 

It was the most silent they had ever been with each other. Reed felt he had said enough, Johnny hadn’t known what to say at all. 

Johnny was on top this time, but he couldn’t face Reed for long, and buried his face into the other man’s neck while taking a slow and leisurely pace. He simply focused on the here and now, and right now there was only Reed, and that was enough.


	16. Interpret Data and Draw Conclusions

Two weeks later found Johnny on the balcony of the Baxter building staring down into the street. Ever since that Melissa girl had come into their lives things had been off between him and Reed. It wasn't something he could name directly, it was the little things. Reed just didn’t smile as often or sometimes Johnny would catch him looking guilty when he was on the phone. He could feel Reed pulling away, but he didn’t try to argue because every night Reed was back in his room.

Reed had been spending more time outside the lab as well. He'd been coming in later too. Johnny had never been on this side of the equation before, but he could see the signs for what they were. If things stayed on this path then his little fling with Reed was coming to the end. Johnny knew why the way things were between them wasn’t enough for Reed, but he couldn’t really understand it well enough to argue a point.

Johnny looked over the side of the building again as a cab pulled up in front of the Baxter building, but the person he was looking for was not who was stepping out of the cab.

"Hey, Johnny. Reed called said he'd be back late."

Johnny turned around. Todd the neuroscience guy was standing in the doorway in his white lab coat and black converse sneakers.

"Thanks," Johnny said irritated.

"Are you guys okay?"

"And that's your business how?" Johnny snapped.

"My apologies," Todd said with a bow. He turned away to walk back in.

"Wait," Johnny called out. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a shitty ass mood."

"It's all right," he said. "I'm not easily offended."

Johnny looked at Todd. It's not that Todd showed any stereotypical signs of being a homosexual. They all knew he was simply because Todd never hid behind pronouns. When someone asked him once who "Steve" was he had simply said his ex-boyfriend like it was no big deal.

"Did Reed say where he was?" Johnny asked.

"He's having dinner with Melissa." Todd said sadly.

"Just like that, huh," Johnny shrugged.

"Sorry.”

"Reed and I weren't officially dating or anything,” Johnny said. He looked over the ledge again.

"I know."

"Really? How's that."

"If you two were a couple Reed wouldn't be out with a woman."

"You don't think he's the cheating type?" Johnny smirked.

"No way, Reed's a great guy. Anyone would be lucky to have him," Todd said matter of fact.

"Do you..." Johnny squinted at Todd.

"Oh, no," Todd smiled. "He's not my type. I'm more of a tattooed biker kind of guy."

"Ah." 

"Can I say something? You won’t get offended?”

"Sure, I’m not easily offended either." Johnny looked over the ledge and narrowed his eyes at something below.

"Don't say anything about Melissa; not unless you're sure about what you want."

Johnny nodded and suddenly shot out a fireball into the streets below.

"What's wrong?" Todd asked.

"I do believe there's a tattooed guy on a Harley downstairs whose tires just melted into the road."

"What?" Todd looked over the ledge. "Is that a rainbow sticker on his helmet?"

"Looks like."

"I'll see you later, Johnny."

Johnny smiled as he watched Todd make a run for the elevator.

__________________________________________________________________

 

It's not that Reed was overtly interested in Melissa. He'd just met her, but the possibility was there. Melissa was intelligent, attractive, kind, and single. Her problem she said was most men couldn’t handle a woman who could build the engine in their cars. 

Who knows? Maybe Melissa could be "the one" and there was no reason Reed could think of not to go out with her. Except of course for the ball of fire that might just be sitting at home waiting for him. But for how long? Reed tried not to feel guilty. Reed was sure that once Todd told Johnny he was out with Melissa, Johnny would be out the door to the nearest bar. 

"Reed?" 

Reed looked up from his musings to find Melissa staring at him.

"I'm sorry," Reed said.

"Where were you?"

"I was just thinking..." Reed trailed off, but he knew he was a pretty bad liar. "I was thinking about Johnny."

"Are you guys together?" Melissa asked. "When I was at the lab, he said some things that made it sound like you were."

"You have a right to know," Reed said. "We're not together, but we have had relations."

"Relations?"

"Johnny's an adventure junkie. I have unique abilities."

"Oh... oh!" Melissa said wide eyed. "Um, well, can't blame the guy I guess. I'm sure many people have speculated about you."

Reed blushed. 

"Well, okay," Melissa said. "I can be open minded. But um, not so open minded to date someone who is sleeping with someone else."

"I understand." Reed said. 

The waiter brought their dinners then and the two sat down in awkward silence as they started eating their food.

Reed understood Melissa would want him to give up Johnny before dating her. In her shoes he would expect the same thing. In reality he didn’t want to give up Johnny yet. Reed tried to tell himself it was the right thing to do in the long run, and took a bite of his sweet and sour chicken.

_______________________________________________________________

Johnny was still looking over the ledge waiting for Reed to come home and feeling like a complete idiot for standing in the balcony for over an hour. If he was going to continue acting this way then he might as well just call Reed his boyfriend and they could go frost their hair together. Johnny frowned. Except for the hair thing the idea didn’t really fill him with dread.

He was taken out of his reverie by the sound of a loud explosion in the distance. He could see the smoke starting to rise. 

Quickly he turned around and leaned in the doorway shouting for Ben and Sue.

Sue came out first, running out of the lab.

"Johnny what is it? Did I hear an explosion?"

Before Johnny could respond he could hear Ben's loud avalanche run coming closer.

"There was an explosion northeast of here," Johnny said. "I'll fly ahead, you guys follow up, see if you can get any information."

Sue and Ben nodded and Johnny shook off his sweat pants and t-shirt leaving only the super suit before jumping off the ledge and towards the action.

____________________________________

Reed was looking over the dessert menu when he heard the explosion in the distance. He turned around to look out the window and see people running in the streets.

He turned back to Melissa but before he could open his mouth she beat him to the punch.

"Go," she said. "I'll see you later."

Reed nodded. He took out his wallet and dropped some money on the table before rushing out of the restaurant and towards the rising smoke.


	17. Publish Results

Of the team, it was Johnny who arrived first on the scene thanks to his ability to fly. The scene was a bank, predictably enough. The police were there already and Johnny could see them shooting at what appeared to be an invisible wall at the other side of which was Klaw. As predicted, it had only been a matter of time before the villain made his reappearance for whatever grand scheme he had plotted.

Johnny got to work on fighting Klaw by directly shooting fireballs in his direction. Klaw was hit by surprise on the first two, but soon deflected them with his invisible force field. The fire wouldn’t do any real damage to Klaw, and Johnny knew that. Johnny was simply trying to keep him distracted and occupied while reinforcements arrived.

That came in the form of Reed, who was not wearing his super suit, Johnny noted. Reed was in slacks and a buttoned down shirt looking like a regular businessman until he started fighting Klaw. He attacked on the side and was stretching himself so much he lost the civilian clothing right away while trying to contain Klaw in a twisted grip. 

Klaw managed to use his sonic powers to the point where Reed had to let go. As he recuperated, Johnny lifted Klaw off the ground, but got the same treatment as Reed and then eventually had to let go. 

Klaw landed on the ground with a thud that took him a few seconds to get up from. It was then that Sue and Ben arrived on the scene.

"Sue!" Reed shouted. "You need to contain him in a force field!"

Sue nodded and got to work, her force field encasing Klaw. Sue and Klaw's opposing fields battled it out in strength for dominance. 

Reed thought quickly. The only two ways to defeat Klaw had proven to be vibranium metal or a vacuum. 

Johnny landed by Reed as he watched Sue and Klaw.

"What do we do?" Johnny said.

"We need to create a vacuum and put him in it," Reed answered.

"I thought he didn't need air."

"It's not the air, it's the absence of sound waves the vacuum creates that immobilizes him."

"Ok," Johnny said. "How do we make a vacuum quickly?"

Reed looked around.

"The bank,” Reed said. “There's a vault inside, if we can get him in it, and seal it, then we can use the vents to create a vacuum before sealing it completely. It should hold him long enough to get some vibranium to subdue him for transport and incarceration."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Help Sue and Ben back him into the vault. I'll go set it up to create the vacuum."

"No problem," Johnny said before taking off.

Reed ran inside the bank.

Sue's force field held out until Klaw used his sound wave abilities to make the ground break up around Sue with the sheer force of itself. Sue wavered and so did her force field. Luckily, Ben was right there fast enough to punch Klaw hard enough to fly backwards and straight back into the bank.

"Ben, Sue, " Johnny called out. "Follow me!"

Johnny flew into the bank and Sue and Ben ran to follow. 

Reed was in the vault room making the necessary modifications to the air duct system for what they needed. The battle noises outside the room were constant and getting closer quickly.

Soon, Klaw crashed through the wall and landed several feet from the vault opening.

"Itching to be back in the vault Torch?" Klaw said.

"Payback's a bitch," Johnny said.

Klaw send out a sonic wave in Johnny's direction slamming him against the ceiling. 

"Oh, you're a bitch all right," Klaw said. 

Klaw laughed, but it was caught short when he didn't notice Sue in the doorway sending a strong field against him and throwing him into the vault.

"We have to shut the door!" Reed called out. 

Sue tried to do it with an energy field, and Johnny recovered enough to push as well. Ben stumbled in, assessed the situation, and shut the door quickly with his strength. 

Johnny watched as Reed did the vacuum thing quickly. He could hear Klaw inside faintly and then cease all together. 

"How long will that hold him?" Sue said. She wiped away some of the blood on her forehead.

"Indefinitely as long as the power doesn’t give out," Reed said. "But I imagine the bank will want this vault back. We're going to have to transport him somewhere else. That part should be easy though now that we’ve bought some time for a more permanent solution.”

“I’ll call General Charles at the military base,” Sue said. “I hope his work with the vibranium is far enough along.”

“I’ll stay here just in case,” Ben said.

"Are we done then?" Johnny said. "Can we go home or do we have to stick around? That’s the part you don’t see in a movie; what happens right after the heroes beat the bad guys. ”

“We can get going,” Reed said. “I should go and transfer any files I have on Klaw over to General Charles right away.”

Sue and Ben nodded in agreement and started walking towards the exit of the bank. Reed and Johnny trailed behind.

"So how was your date?" Johnny asked.

Reed sighed.

"It didn't go too well actually," Reed said. "And that was before the bank exploded."

"Oh," Johnny said.

"I’m sure that comes as no surprise,” Reed said.

Johnny shook his head. 

"Does it bother you?" Reed said. He had to wonder after Johnny’s behavior that night they had met Melissa.

"That you’re dating?" Johnny asked. 

"Yeah. We never really talked about it. Maybe, so there are no misunderstandings, we should set up some ground rules."

"Rules?" Johnny said. 

They were almost at the entrance of the bank and Johnny stopped to turn around and look at Reed. 

The two men were probably as opposite as two people could get. Johnny hated that he'd spent the entire night prior to this waiting for Reed on a balcony. He hated that Reed dating bothered him. He hated that it had come down to this: keep Reed happy, or lose Reed so Reed could find happiness somewhere else. 

"Rules," Reed repeated. "I've read that it's always good to have a set of ground rules or understandings in any relationship whether it's amorous, work-related, friendship, anything."

"We're all three," Johnny pointed out. 

"What?"

"We work together and we play together," Johnny said. "We're friends, we're partners, and we're lovers."

Reed paused and thought. "That's right we are."

"Rules. Okay. I don't want you dating other people. It bothers me," Johnny said. He knew the way it sounded, but it was the truth.

"That's unfair," Reed said.

"Why? I haven't been dating anyone. Once you and I got together again after Ben caught us I haven’t been with anyone else.”

"Yeah, but…"

"But what?"

"That would make us exclusive. It implies that we're together like I was with your sister."

"Isn't that what you want? A relationship?" Johnny hadn’t really come to a decision until the words came out of his mouth.

Reed was silent. As usual he didn't know nor had thought about what he wanted. He had thought about what Johnny wanted and how they could work with or around that. 

"Reed," Johnny continued when he saw that Reed was not talking. "What do you want?"

"We can't just decide to be exclusive to each other. You’re going to be, what? My boyfriend? That's not the kind of thing you’re into. You'd just dump me in a week or two..."

"We've been doing this for almost two months."

"And then I'd have already alienated Melissa..."

"Who you didn't really like anyway you're just dating her to try and get your mind off of me..."

"And for what?"

The two men stood there staring at each other. Outside were the applause and well wishes of the city, the reporters asking questions, the photographers snapping pictures, and the cop cars just arriving on the scene. 

"You always think, you never act,” Johnny started. “I’ve said that before.”

"And your problem is that you never think at all."

"Aren't we the pair," Johnny said.

Reed sighed heavily and crossed his arms. Johnny looked him over and wondered with amusement how it had all come to this. How funny that the ladies man of the Fantastic Four would be contemplating exclusivity with a man, and not only that, but the most straight-laced science nerd he'd ever met. 

It then occurred to Johnny that Reed was right, he never really thought about what he was getting into he just did it, consequences be damned. 

"Reed," Johnny started.

"Yeah?"

"From now on it's just you and me. Okay? Great!" Johnny smiled and started walking away.

"What?" Reed stared after him. “You’re just trying to appease me so I won’t stop sleeping with you.”

“I’ve never had to lie to get laid,” Johnny said.

"Well you still can't just say that we’re together and that’s it. There's a lot to think about and factors that need to be considered..."

"You think too much. I don’t think at all. So how about we meet in between.” Johnny said and kept walking straight out of the building. “Let’s start with we’re together and expand from there.”

"But you don't like relationships. You've never been able to make one last."

"Neither have you."

Outside, the photographers were already aiming in their direction. Sue and Ben were talking to law enforcements making arrangements. Reed stared after Johnny unsure about what to do next.

Johnny turned around.

"So are we good then?" Johnny said. 

"You never take anything serious Johnny," Reed looked around at the reporters and tried to be vague in what he said. "This is a big decision."

"Hmm..." Johnny walked up to Reed.

Reed looked at him expectantly and then felt a moment of fear when he saw the evil smile that graced Johnny's face.

He hadn't expected Johnny to grab him and kiss him right then. Which is why the kiss went on for as long as it did. The reporters blinding him with their flashes made him close his eyes and inadvertently heighten the romantic look of the two of them together.

Sue turned her head to look over at the commotion and accidentally turned invisible. Ben started laughing.

"You okay, Suzie?" Ben asked.

Sue reappeared again and laughed softly.

"Yeah," she said. "Oh, I can't wait to see Reed's face when he sees this on the news."

"And the papers"

"For the next ten years."

Johnny released Reed from the kiss but kept a hand around Mr. Fantastic’s waist.

"Is that serious enough for you Dr. Richards?" Johnny smirked ignoring all the reporters’ questions. "I will gladly give the reporters more proof of my convictions in order for you to reach the conclusions I want."

Reed's shocked face slowly transformed into a smile. It may have been beyond all reason and logic, but in the end Reed could fall on something very basic. He liked Johnny; Johnny made him happy; and Johnny had just let the world know that he felt the same way about Reed. He'd never been so flattered in his entire life. 

"Let's go home, Johnny." Reed said. 

Johnny looked at him expectantly.

"Together," Reed finished.

Johnny smiled and nodded. Reed turned around to walk towards Ben and Sue who were still laughing softly.

Johnny turned to the reporters and smiled.

"Sorry guys, gotta go," he said. The reporters protested. "Sorry, it's Reed. He's an animal. Barely lets me leave the bedroom."

Reed turned around wide-eyed. "Johnny!"

"What?" He shrugged innocently and walked back to Reed.

Reed just shook his head. He started walking back towards the rest of the team and Johnny threw an arm around his shoulder.

"You knew what you were getting into with me," Johnny said. 

"No, I really didn't."

"You complaining already?" Johnny said.

"No," Reed laughed.

"Good." Johnny said and held Reed to him a little tighter.


	18. Epilogue - Retest Frequently

Reed lay on his bed in pajama pants with the covers turned down below his feet. The 11:00 news came on TV and Reed discarded his newspaper to the bedside table before dimming the lamp to a less dramatic level. Reed laid back into the large pillow propping him up slightly and got comfortable.

He could hear the shower in the other room shut off and the screen door open. The door to the bathroom was slightly ajar and the light from the room spilled into the bedroom in a line crossing the corner of the bed and the floor.

The news reporter on TV was talking about a school closing do to possible asbestos contamination. Reed could hear teeth being brushed in the other room, spitting, and gargling. The door opened all the way now and the light was shut off. Johnny closed the door behind him.

Without a word, Johnny threw himself on the bed next to Reed making it bounce slightly. He was only in pajama pants as well. He stretched his body while making himself comfortable on his side of the bed.

The news report switched to a story about a car pile-up and an overturned semi truck blocking all lanes of traffic earlier that day. Then Ben appeared in the footage, walking right up to the truck and righting it before moving it out of the way. It was a good thing he'd just happened to be in that traffic jam on the way to give a speech somewhere.

"Ah, it's a good thing that truck didn't explode," Johnny said casually.

"Yeah," Reed agreed before turning back to the TV.

"And speaking of the Fantastic Four," the reporter on TV said, "It was one year ago today that Fantastic Four members Dr. Reed Richards and Johnny Storm outed themselves to the world..."

Reed sat up and stared horrified as the year old footage of Johnny kissing him in front of the bank was re-aired.

The first month after that had been a media frenzy, and Reed was very grateful that Johnny loved the media because he dealt with it while Reed stood in the background. They'd been on the cover of Advocate, asked to lead the gay pride parade, and invited over to Elton John's house. Sometimes Johnny was a little more outspoken than Reed would have liked, but every question made Reed blush anyway so he’d stopped chastising the Torch early on. 

In truth, while the questions about their relationship had tapered down, they had never gone away completely. Most of the press had been supportive, and most of the time they had been held as an example in every pro gay rights argument being made. Reed didn’t think of himself as being gay. His homosexuality had started and ended with Johnny. He tried to compare it once to preferring PCs to Apple, but just having found a really good Apple computer. The comparison had been met with some laughter.

"Many of you may remember this scene in front of the George Washington Federal Bank last year where after a brave defeat of arch-villain Klaw, Richards and Storm celebrated with the kiss heard 'round the world..."

"That’s right. I’m the best," Johnny said.

"So let's wish the couple a happy anniversary," the news reporter said. "In other happy news..."

Johnny grabbed the remote and lowered the sound on the TV a little.

"Happy anniversary, darling," Johnny said. "Sorry I forgot."

"I didn't realize it had been a year," Reed relaxed a bit and lay back down on the bed. "They never get tired of that footage."

"That's cause we're hot," Johnny said. "You get one hot dude, and you put him with another hot dude... it's the same way men feel about hot lesbo action."

"And that's the exact phrase that got you in trouble with the lesbian community."

"We're here, we're queer. Can't we all just get along?" 

Reed laughed softly.

"You know what the great thing about dating a guy is?" Johnny asked. 

"What?" Reed asked with a smile almost afraid of the response.

"Guys don't remember stuff like anniversaries, and since we're both guys we both forgot , and it’s no big deal. "

"So are we counting this day as the anniversary day then?" Reed asked.

"Sure," Johnny shrugged. "I bet you didn't think we'd make it this long."

"No, can't say I did."

"Thanks," Johnny snapped and hit Reed playfully on the arm.

"Did you?"

"No," Johnny laughed. "I kind of just asked you to be my boyfriend on a whim."

"Figures," Reed laughed.

"I've got a theory though on why we've made it this far. Want to hear?"

"A theory?" Reed looked over at Johnny with this full attention. "I've got to hear this."

"Ok. So have you ever heard that saying that women look for the one man that can satisfy all their needs, but men look for many women who can satisfy their one need?"

Reed laughed. "Yeah, I've heard that one before."

"So since you're the woman in this relationship..."

Reed punched him in the arm.

"Cause you hit like a girl," Johnny finished and rubbed his arm. "You got me to satisfy all your needs. And I got you, the one person who satisfies my one need."

"Johnny, that's almost profound," Reed said.

"And speaking of my one need. It's our anniversary so we have to have sex."

"That's a rule somewhere?"

"Of course, ask anyone," Johnny smiled.

And suddenly Johnny was on his lap. Reed reached for the remote control and shut off the TV before laying the remote on the bedside table. Johnny was already kissing his way down Reed's chest.

As always, Reed's response to Johnny was immediate, and his shaft was hardening as Johnny removed the sleep pants from him.

"Why do you wear these," Johnny asked. He threw the offending pants into a corner. "They end up on the floor almost every night."

"Habit," Reed whispered. “I’m playing hard to get.”

Johnny spread Reed's legs before swallowing the hard cock jutting out for him. Reed went ahead and removed Johnny's pajamas with his stretching abilities.

Johnny let go of Reed's cock for a moment. "Get me ready," he said hurriedly. 

Reed nodded.

He moved his hand over to the bedside dresser and got the lube before applying some to his fingers and then slowly beaching Johnny's hole with two modified fingers. They stretched and lubed Johnny's ass getting the Torch ready for him. Johnny moaned around Reed's cock and spread his legs wider for better access.

Despite the fact that he was living with and sleeping with a man, Johnny still didn't consider himself gay either. Perhaps it could be said that they were bisexual, and perhaps they'd always been so, but society makes it easier for someone who might have a predilection for both genders to simply choose the opposite one.

Luckily for them, neither had ever been a fan of doing things simply because it was easier. It was one of the very few things they did have in common.

Johnny removed his mouth from Reed again and started to crawl up his body as Reed removed his fingers from Johnny's ass. They'd been together long enough for Reed to know what Johnny was doing. After all, it was one of their favorite positions.

Johnny sat up and Reed held his cock at Johnny's entrance as Johnny sat down on it as quick as he could. He squeezed himself around Reed making the doctor dig his fingers into Johnny's legs.

Johnny smiled at the effect he always had on Reed.

He started his movements rather fast, Reed quickly modified himself so he would hit Johnny's prostate knowing already how to do it without having to search around for it.

Reed loved this position because he got to lay back and watch Johnny. Was there anyone who has ever thought that Johnny wasn't amazing in bed? It was obvious how much Johnny enjoyed sex. Sometimes, Reed would just look at him in awe that all this was now reserved for him. 

Reed enjoyed the view of Johnny fucking himself on his cock for a good while. Then he did what he knew Johnny was waiting for, he stretched himself so he'd be able to suck Johnny off at the same time that he was getting fucked. In this position Johnny controlled everything, his downward bounce that made Reed's shaft go all that much deeper, and the upward thrust that slipped his own cock deeper down Reed's throat.

Reed loved to feel Johnny’s muscles quake in the effort. 

"Don't come yet, Reed," Johnny whispered. 

Reed could feel that Johnny was getting close, but he tried to stave himself off as instructed.

"I'm gonna, but don't just don't..."Johnny whispered incoherently.

Reed knew the moment when it happened, and it was a fraction of a second later he could feel his throat flooding with Johnny's cum. He wrapped himself tightly around the Human Torch, holding him up as he came down from his high.

When he could feel Johnny slump slightly, he unraveled himself. He was still hard within Johnny, twitching with repressed need.

Johnny smiled. He twisted them around so Reed was on top as Johnny lay down on the bed beneath him without having the man slip from inside him.

"Okay," Johnny said. "Come on Dr. Richards."

Reed was half crazed with lust as he started thrusting. This was a familiar routine for them also, though Reed had never managed to be able to ask Johnny about it. The thing was that Johnny liked to see him this way sometimes. The good, uptight Dr. reduced to an animal blind with lust. In these moments the only thing Reed was focused on was using Johnny's body to appease his need. It never failed to make Johnny hard again.

Johnny jacked himself off while watching the spectacular show that was Reed when he was fucking Johnny into the mattress all sense of propriety completely gone. 

"Do I feel good to you, Dr?" Johnny whispered into Reed's ear. "Aren't you happy I corrupted you?"

Reed pounded harder, burying his face into Johnny's neck.

Johnny grabbed him by the hair and yanked him back to look him in the face.

"No, Reed," Johnny said. "Not this time. Look at me. Look at what you do to me."

Reed looked down at Johnny's body. Saw the man jerking himself off, the sweat traveling down from his neck, and then looked back into the eyes of his lover.

"Johnny," Reed whispered.

"Almost there again," Johnny whispered. "How can anyone compare to you?"

That's when Reed fell over the edge, spasming in orgasm inside the inferno of the man beneath him. The feel of Reed coming within his body triggered Johnny's second orgasm. He spilled over his hand and chest.

Reed lowered himself onto Johnny, squashing their bodies together despite the mess in between.

"Hey, Reed," Johnny said. He closed his eyes and relaxed in post coital bliss. His legs were still wrapped around the man above him.

"Yeah," Reed's breathing was still a bit ragged.

"I love you." 

"I love you too." Reed closed his eyes and lost himself in the moment.

“We’re a big sticky mess,” Johnny said. 

“Yeah,” Reed agreed.

"Join me in the shower?" Johnny said with a smile.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, if you read this far. Hope you enjoyed. I have other stories on adultfanfiction.org that I haven't transferred over if you are interested in reading more from me. Unfortunately, no others of this pairing.


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